i;:^ 



^er 




.LVP 




^H 


^^^^^^^^^^^^■'f'^ "^ 4^^^^^^^^^^^^l 


^^^1 




' ^^^^^^^^^^^^H 


^^^HlBlK' 


'.^^^^^^^^^^^^H^^^l 


^^^^^^Hr^; 


^^^^^^^^^^1 




l^^^^^^^^^^^^^^H 






^^^^^^^^^^■f ,:_ 


■■ 




^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^H 


^^^^^K,V*! . A '- '""^ 


I^H 




^^M 





Ii'''!:i:t:!i 



-S-, 



«,-■ 



"^^ v^^ =V 






oS^- 



o>-' ':r.. 



.■.■i^ 









%,.^- 



.i* 






"^^ V^' 



,!-^' 



"-P. .-J.^ 









' ^J 



-^''os 












•^c o'^' 









%^ 



'^ 










^^. ,^^ 



% 



o it s ^ . 












-J' 



-V, c"^ 



..^'' 



"bo^ 



> .O- 






^^.- v^'' 
.0^. 






.*'' 



"t*. 



^^y^ v-i^ 






''^. ^ 



-v^-^. 



^ -^. --^ 



.^- 



I? ^ 



.'^':*. ' " ■ ' '^'J*' 






A 



A 









.-^^ 



^^. 



.^•^' 



0' . 



->-' 



^v 



^^^ v^' 



■^c 



0' 



iiiiiiNiiiii^iiii Niiiii^iiiifeaiiiia |i|Np 



^ 



MBIIIISIIIIIsllimeilllSillSI 



IIIIIIISIIIHilSllieilllfellllSlllieilltM 




SoMesFlge^ iDeAs 



PRSCTICSL HINTS FOR THOSE WHO ¥OULD HELP THEMSELYES 

IN THE CONSTRUCTIOX OF 

CONVENIENCES FOR USE ABOUT 

THE YARD, THE GARDEN Md THE FARM, 



■f-. 



1 



WITH ESPECIAL REFERENCE TO 

POULTRY-KEEPING. 

* ♦ ♦ BY ♦ » » / 

y 
J. HENRY LEE, 

INDIHNHPOLIS IND. 



m 



Published by the Author: 
1894 









Copyrighted 1894. 

*** This Book is Copyrighted to protect my rights as Author, Artist and Publisher. Others cannot copy or otherwise use any of the 

contents.— whether text or illustrations, in whole or in part, — without rendering themselves liable to prosecution under 

the laws of the United States. But the Copyright is not intended to prevent the construction and use of the 

conveniences described, by any purchaser of the book. The Copyright is a necessary protection 

against dishonest publishers and artists. J_. Henry Lee. 



Electrotvped bv the 
indianapolis 
electrotype 

: : FOUNDRY 

INDIANAPOLIS 

: INDIANA 



Printed at ofeice of 
THE OHIO : : : : : 
POULTRY : : : : : 
JOURNAL, : : : : : 

ROB'T A. BRADEN : 

DAYTON, o. : : : : 




INTRODUCTORY. 



Thk one great idea with an American, in any enter- 
prise, is that it must paj- ; and the constant study is to 
make it pay well. That business pays best in which 
the resources, of whatever nature, are managed with e- 
conomy, — and by economy I do not mean merely an 
expenditure of the least possible amount of monej-, 
(which idea too often results in neglecTl and consequent 
waste,) — but I refer to the proper admixture of brains 
with business, so as to secure the best results obtaina- 
ble. And if these results can, by more careful study, 
be reached with a smaller expenditure of cash than had 
before been considered necessary, so much the better 
for the business. That is what the average American 
aims at every time. 



An example from the following pages will serve to il- 
lustrate my meaning fairly. The small wooden button, 
with a screw or nail in its center, has been used from 
time immemorial to fasten doors, because it is cheap 
and handy: to use it is economy. Yet, with a little 
thought, the idea is immensely improved by simply- 
driving a small nail above the button : it is therefore 
truer economy to use this small nail, notwithstanding 
it is an added expense. That is the key-note of this 
book, — to present ideas that are useful, cheap, con- 
venient, and (what is these and more ) economical in 
the truest sense of the word. Many of the ideas ad- 
vanced are original, — I cannot claim that they all are; 
possibly some are not the best of their kind, — there 
may be a difference of opinion as to that. 

It is not within the province of this work to argue 
that poultry-keeping pays ; those who have kept poul- 
try, with brains, know that it pays, while those who 
have failed at the business are past all hope and this 
book will never reach them. That it will be a practical 
beneiit to those who are now keeping poultry, and to 
others as well, is the hope of 

The Author. 




HOUSE DESIGN No. i. 



'Some of Lee's Ideas. ' 



GeNSRHL OBSSRYfiTIONS. 

A CARPENTER need not be hired to make the con- 
veniences about to be described; the average owner of a 
home will prefer to make the improvements himself, at 
odd times, and they are specially designed with this in 
view, - even the buildings will not be found beyond the 
capacity of ordinary intelligence. And there is a satis- 
faction in applying the improvements one's self, — not 
to mention the saving of expense. The tools needed 
are generally the property- of any householder, but they 
can be purchased at small cost as compared to hiring 
the work done. The necessaries are a saw, a hatchet, 
a square, a screw-driver, a three-corner file and a pocket 
knife, — a surprisingly short list, — to which might be 
added for convenience, a pair of combined wire-cutters 
and pliers and an anvil ; however a very ser\iceable 
substitute for these can be made by driving an axe into 
the end of a heavy block for the anvil and two large 
spikes driven deep at one corner of the same block, a- 
bout an eighth of an inch apart, will serve for shaping 
wires and holding them while being filed. A smooth- 
ing plane and a brace, with two or three sizes of bitts 
for it, might be added. All of these tools, of good qual- 
ity, including the axe, can be bought for not to exceed 
ten dollars. The lumber <can be purchased ready- 
dressed on one or both sides, as required ; old boxes 



General Observations.— Buildings. 

will many times supply the boards wanted. Wire-nails 
are best for most purposes and a given weight contains 
a greater number than of common nails ; smooth wire- 
uails are the most generally useful, and where great se- 
curity is desirable the trick is easily learned by which 
a gentle squeeze and twist of the wire-cutters will raise 
a pair of barbs near the point of the nail. 

*************** 

BUILDINGS. 




SUITABLE house is the first consideration in the 
profitable care of poultry, whether for home use 
<oT market, or the fancy, so-called. An expen- 
'sive building is by no means a necessity; and 
1 on the other hand the time has almost gone by 
when feathered-stock is required to shift for itself. 
Hens that pay their owners a profit while compelled 
to roost in trees, do not deser\-e to live. The best loca- 
tion is on dry and slightly sloping land, with a south- 
ern exposure. But when this is not available, any dry 
situation should be chosen, or sufficient earth filled in 
to provide for this. Dryness is imperative. 

Believing that a cheap house might be an advantage 
to some, and perhaps induce others to give their fowls 
better accommodations than the too-frequent open shed 
I designed the house illustrated on the opposite page, 



"Some of Lee's Ideas. " 

several years ago. The full details of its construction 
were published at that time in the Poultry Bulletin, N. 
Y., the American Poultrj' Journal, Chicago, and I be- 
lieve in some of the other prominent fanciers' periodi- 
cals ; and I am told that the design has been adopted 
both in a small way and on extensive farms ; it is well 
adapted for use in the colony plan or it can readily be 
extended to an indefinite length. The original house 
is still in use in my yard. 

The original plan allows for one hundred square feet 
of floor-space, which is divided iuto two pens to accom- 
modate two pens of fowls or a pen of breeding fowls 
and their chicks. It is lo feet square, facing south, 
with common window sash for light and warmth. It 
is a common mistake to fill the whole side of a poultry 
house with glass ; beside the unnecessary- expense, this 
is inimical to the health of poultry confined in such a 
building at the season when the warmth which it is in- 
tended to supply, is most needed ; the sunshine during 
the day will warm up the house more thoroughly than 
if a smaller surface of glass were used, but a second 
thought will remind us that the large surface of glass 
also reduces the temperature very rapidly and thor- 
oughly at night ; moisture is thus precipitated from the 
warm air upon the inner side of the windows to such an 
. extent that the glass is soon completely covered with 
ice, and the lee side of a snowbank is warm, in com- 



. Buildings. 



parison. The amount of glass shown in the house il- 
lustrated, is sufficient to afford the necessary light, and 
at the same time, it furnishes a warm spot on the floor 
for the fowls to bask in, when confined during severe 
weather, without subjecting them to extremes of tem- 
perature each day. Glass is one of those good things 
of which too much is bad ; a poultry-house can't be 
properly heated by it. 

In summer, when the sun's rays fall perpendicularly, 
the slant of the sash in this house keeps the floor in 
shade, while in winter, when the sun is much further 
south, its rays penetrate even to the rear wall, and thus 
every part of the floor receives the benefit of their in- 
fluence, during the course of the day. In a later page 
of this book, I will carry this idea of utilizing and a- 
voiding sunshine, still further. 

Having selected a site for the building, the first item 
to be considered, in its construction, is whether or not 
it must be rat-proof ; this is to be considered, whether 
a foundation is placed under the house or not. By my 
plans, no foundation of any sort, is required ; I do not 
even use sills, and the house is also built without cor- 
ner posts. A house practically without frame or founda- 
tion may seem entirely wrong to a professional builder 
but, as durability is not sacrificed, I have ventured to 
set aside the ordinary rules thus far, thereby cutting off 
a large part of the expense. The surest way to head off 



" Some of Lee's Ideas." 

■ ^ ) 

the rat burrow is to bury pieces of tm or sheet-iron a few 

inches underground on both sides of the wall, — old 
stove-pipe, or anything which the rat cannot penetrate; 
of course a brick or stone foundation, set deeply into 
the ground, will keep the rats out ; likewise tin, or 
other such material, if placed perpendicularl)-, would 
accomplish the same purpose ; but it is generalU- more 
convenient to lay the material flat and cover it with 
earth, Vjankiug against the wall on both sides. This 
protection must be placed inside of the house, as well 
out,- otherwise his ratsUip will burrow from the unpro- 
tected side, and doubtless be glad to have a tin roof o- 
ver his head. A foot or so each waj' is all that is nec- 
essary, because the rhodent always begins his mining 
operations near the wall. 

As before stated. I designed this house with the idea 
of making it as cheap as possible ; its size, — loo square 
feet of floor-space, — is very convenient for ordinary 
use, and the cost of the one I built, was as follows: 
240 feet of eight-foot fencing, at $14-50 per thousand, cost, $j 48 
200 " " ten-foot flooring " 16. " " . . z 96 

4 ten-foot boards, 12 in. wide, 18. •■ >• ^^ 

3 2x4 scantling, ten feet long. 21 

2 bundles lath. 30 

2 second-hand sash i 00 

20 pounds of tarred paper, at 3 cents per pound 60 

I pair half-strap hinges, with screws 15 

Nails, etc., and paint S^ 

Total $10 00 



Buildings. 

The fencing and flooring came in six inch widths. 
To begin the construction, first saw 20 of the fencing 
boards to a uniform length of six feet; these are for the 
rear wall. The scrap ends are then to be trimmed all 
to two-foot lengths, for the lower part of the front wall, 
a fencing board being ripped in two strips, to which. 
these scraps are nailed, as shown in Fig. 2 ; two boards 
near each end, are left for the doors for the fowls. 
This done, all is ready for nailing together the base of 
the whole house ; three of the wide boards are used for 
the base and the fourth for the partition. The front 
base slants outward, as shown in Fig. i. 




'Some of Lee's Ideas.' 



8 



. Buildings. 



The frame is then constructed by erecting a long fenc- 
ing board at three feet from the front end of each side 
base and a shorter one at the rear ends, as shown in 
Fig. I, (which shows these boards trimmed to fit under 
the roof.) These two sets of uprights are then con- 
nected by scantlings, for the roof, scantlings being re- 
quired to give the necessary strength to the roof; under 
the ends of these scantlings, fencing boards are nailed, 
uniting the uprights ; the third scantling is then fas- 
tened in place, midway between the others. The top 
of the two longest uprights is then connected with the 
front base, by a fencing board, and two boards nailed 




across the front, to support the sash. The whole frame 
is then complete and ready to be enclosed. Figs, i and 
2 show side and front details of the frame. Fencing 
boards are used on the sides and back and flooring for 
the roof and front ; flooring is best for roof and front, 
because, being smooth, it sheds the rain readily, and 
being tongue-and-grooved, there is no trouble with 
leaks. The sash are adjusted in their proper places, 
with strips of tin above them to turn water, before the 
boards are nailed on. The cracks on the sides and back 
of the house are stripped with lath ; the inside of the 
house is lined with tarred paper; and the roof and 
front are painted with a cheap mineral paint. This 
makes tjie house sufficiently warm for winter in almost 
any northern latitude ; for the South the tarred paper 
might be dispensed with, but it is an advantage any- 
where as a disinfeAant and also because it is very dis- 
agreeable to all kinds of vermin ; and preventive meas- 
ures must be taken against lice wherever the English 
sparrow is found. The roof might be painted with tar, 
instead of mineral paint, as the slant is not enough to 
run it off in hot weather. 

The partition is made of lath, nailed closely, on the 
broad base board, a narrower board being used for the 
top. Enough scrap pieces will be left to make dust and 
nest boxes, roosts, etc., and the arrangement of these 
can be made as best suits the convenience of the owner. 



'Some op Lee's Ideas.' 



9 



. Buildings. 



The gate in the partition rests on the top of the base- 
board ; this prevents sagging and leaves the base-board 
xmweakened. The same principle is applied in the 
construction of the 3-ard gates, as will be explained 
later. The small doors in the front base are raised and 
lowered by cords, which can be reached while standing 
at the main door ; these cords pass over home-made 
pulleys, and each is attached to an iron bolt on its door 
which is heavy enough to fall into its socket when re- 
leased. I arranged this to fasten or unfasten the door 
by the lifting-cord, and it was verj- satisfactory ; but 
I found, in use, that the mud from the feet of the fowls 
in moist weather, would accumulate in the socket into 
which the bolt was e.xpected to drop, and thus interfere 
sometimes, with its free movement. For this reason, 
I liave practicalh- abandoned these doors, adopting a 
vertical door, which is so construdted that no lever can 
be inserted under it by a thief, or has an automatic 
fastening above it, which will be described and illus- 
trated in that part of this book specially devoted to the 
subject of doors. 

Ventilation can be provided in either of two ways. 
Holes can be cut at the top of each side wall, thus sup- 
plying "top ventilation." and these holes may be cov- 
ered with a movable shutter, by which to regulate the 
size of the opening, according to the temperature, the 
number of fowls housed, or any other condition which 



may arise. However, the ventilator most commonly 
employed is a tube made by nailing together 4 boards 
long enough to extend from a point near the floor at 
the center of the house, out through the roof. Each 
style of ventilator has its special advantages, and the 
builder can choose for himself ; the important point a- 
bout a ventilator is to avoid subjectiug the fowls to a 
draft at night. 

My perches are placed at the center or each compart- 
ment ; they rest on blocks nailed to the side walls and 
to the partiton. The perch is two inches square, -with 
the corners rounded off, made of proper length to 
spring into place firmly. They can be removed when 
occasion requires, and are not in the way, like benches, 
when not in use, as they can be leaned up in one cor- 
ner of the house. Young birds of the .Asiatic and A- 
merican classes should not be permitted to sit upon 
perches of any sort until the "keel-bone" is well past 
the gristle state. The dust-bath must be placed under 
the window, as chickens will not use it in a dark or 
cold place, in winter. 

It will be readily seen that this house can be ex- 
tended to any length desired, by using three posts every 
ten feet, to support the roof, a partition at these posts 
taking the place of the end wall in the original plan. 




HOUSE DESIGN No. 2. 



• • • H MODEL HOUSE. « • • 



~> 



BUT a thoroughly good and convenient house • 
is more often desired than one iu which the 
greatest recommendation is its cheapness. I 
have therefore designed a house which pos- 
sesses about all the features really desirable in a house, 
I think, and which can be built at a small cost, also. 
In connection with the other conveniences which I 
shall describe, I believe little is left to be desired, iu 
the ordinary range of poultry keeping. The illustra- 
tion on the opposite page gives a perspective view. Xo 
attempt at architectural beauty has been made, but a 
careful reading of the description will, I thiuk, con- 
vince anyone that it is "built for business." Reasons 
why are all pointed oiit. 

This building is of the same dimensions as the one 
first shown, viz., lo by lo feet, and is 12 feet high at the 
rear, the roof sloping to a height of eight fett from the 
ground, at the top of the sash. The change in the di- 
rection of the slope of the roof is practically the only 
difference in the external design of the two houses; the 
slope and length of roof are the same, the slope of front 
the same and the windows are in the same position. 
The reason for the change iu the diredlion of the roof 



was hinted at a few pages back. I noticed, in winter, 
that the snow or sleet would stay on the roof of house 
No. I, long after the front had become perfedtly dry in 
the sunshine. The difference in angle would make a 
less amount adhere to the front, of course, but this did 
not fully account for it all; investigation developed the 
fact that the sun's rays touched the roof at such an 
angle as to make them powerless. This is true of any 
roof having a northern aspect. It therefore became 
advisable to reverse the slant of the roof, to give the 
sun a fair chance. Warmth is desirable, and, if the 
elements can ser\-e or harm us, they should he looked 
after. If the sun shines squarely against the roof, it 
will remove the snow or ice or morning's frost quickl)', 
and a dr}' roof is certainh- better, in eveiy waj-, than 
an icy roof. We therefore find that house design No. 2 
not onl)- admits the sunshine, for light and warmth, to 
almost the whole floor of the house, but also takes ad- 
vantage of the same element to secure the best possible 
conditions all around, in the winter season. The prin- 
ciples I have pointed out apply, also, to our advantage, 
in summer, in house design No. 2. Glance at Figs, i 
and 2, next page, — the dotted lines representing the 



•So«E OF Lee's Ideas.' 



12 



, ... A Model House. 



Fi. 



:^--^ 



Winter Sun. 

suu's rays, the others representing the slant of the roof 
and windows, of house Xo. 2. It will be noticed that 
iu winter the rays enter the window and also strike the 
roof squarely ; but, in summer, when the sun is much 
further to the north, its beams cannot enter at the win- 
dow and the}- touch the roof at the angle at which our 
winter experience demonstrates they have the least 
power. Thus this design utilizes the sun's warmth to 



^ z 



M'MMER hUX. 

the best advantage, in winter, and avoids it, as much 
as possible, iu the heat of summer. 

In this design the roof projeAs out over the top of 
the windows sufficient to shed water, but does not ob- 
stru(5l the light ; this makes the tin flashing used above 
the sash in house No. I, unnecessary in this design, 
which is an advantage, because such work, even when 
done by a practical roofer, is not always free of leaks. 



■Some of Lee's Ideas.' 



18 



If it seems inadvisable to allow the water from the roof 
to flow over the windows-, the common form of cheap 
gutter can be erected on the roof, without obstructing 
the light in the least. This gutter is made by fastening 
a narrow board vertically on its edge, near the lower 
edge of the roof and filling the angle with a board, 
which has been tapered to about a half-inch width at 
the outlet end. Tin is then shaped over these strips 
and tacked to them and to the sheathing of the roof. 
The shingles, or other roofing materials, are then made 
to lap over the upper edges of this tin covering. No 
doubt the water can, in most cases, discharge from the 
end of the gutter, no spouting being necessary. 

As before remarked, a poultry house should front to- 
wards the south. If located on a city lot which fronts 
north, I find some will cling to the idea that the house 
must be placed at the rear end of the lot, and conse- 
quently cannot have a south front ; this is a mistake, 
because, if a space is to be allotted to the fowls, their 
house can be located at the front of that space, or in 
the middle of it, and would be more .safe from depreda- 
tors, if so located. On a lot w^hich extends east and 
west, the building may be located at the side of the 
space set apart for poultry. In this, as in other affairs, 
"what is worth doing at all, should be done right." 

Perhaps the most important difference between the 
two designs is in the floors. No. I has an earth floor, 



.... A Morel House. 

which is kept covered with straw or other litter. No. 2 
has a floor made of tongue-and-grooved stuff, and this 
floor is two feet above the ground. If we study the 
subject of floors, we find the first essential is dryness; 
this is secured by an elevated floor better than in any- 
other way. Again, the trouble with rats is avoided; 
the precautions against these pests, detailed in the last 
chapter, are unnecessary with design No. 2. A board 
floor on, or a few inches above, the ground, forms a 
capital retreat for the rat, as well as for other small an- 
imal pests ; the elevated floor, with dust underneath it, 
as is contemplated in this design, furnishes no such 
harbor, and the animal, of whatever kind, which at- 
tempts to burrow into this house, finds the dust in its 
nose anything but agreeable ; however, if it should be 
courageous enough to not turn back, it would find it- 
self in an empty room, no nearer the fowls than before 
entering, and its place of entrance clogged with dust. 
The floor is made tight to avoid drafts about the fowls, 
thus insuring their comfort, and to keep the litter and 
droppings where they should be, — which is not in the 
dust-bath. The location of the floor is indicated by 
the dotted line, in design No. 2. 

If the flooring boards are sawn into short lengths, to 
be put in the house crosswise, only three joists will be 
needed for each half of the house ; and 2x4 scantlings 
win answer verv well for joists. My idea is that the 



■Some of Lee's Ideas. " 



li 



~) 



. A Model House. 



partition should be made to extend from the ground up 
through the floor, be made of lath nailed to a board at 
the ground but not at the floor ; the lath to be about a 
half inch apart, or so close that the fowls cannot pick 
at each other, or very small chicks creep through the 
cracks. The ordinary length of lath is four feet ; this 
places the strip to which the upper euds of the lath are 
nailed, at two feet above the floor, — the proper height 
for the perches, where my method of arranging the 
perches is adopted. A second course of lath is placed 
above this, to make the partition of proper height ; it 
will then extend al)Ove the floor six feet, which is just 
the height of the roof at its lowest part, and suflicient 
to turn back almost any "flyer." A partition thus 
constructed, leaves a series of small holes, at the floor- 
line, which form a part of the system of ventilation 
employed in this house ; this will be fully explained 
later on. The believer in no ventilation is at liberty to 
make the floor solid, and ereft the partition above it. 
Fig. 3 shows the end elevation of this house. The 
door can, of covirse, be placed at whichever end is most 
convenient. The line of dashes, marked F, shows the 
location of the floor, two feet above the ground. The 
roof, at its highest point, is twelve feet from the ground 
and at the lowest, eight feet. The door is six feet high 
and three feet wide. A battened door, as here shown, 
answers every purpose as well as a more expensive 





1 ' 


R 
... a 


09 


~~'"^^^^_5l-v 


r 


1 


K 


r 


3 :j 

S 




\ 


\ 


i 














StCf 



Fig. 3 : — End Elevation. 

style. It is made of the same material as the sides of 
the house, — tongue-and-grooved stuff, — and the bat- 
tens which are nailed very firmly at about a foot from 
the bottom and eighteen inches from the top, may be 
of the same material, also. The position of the perch 
is indicated at R, with drop-board db beneath, covering 
nest-box N, which has a lid, L, to open outward when 



'Some of Lee's Ideas." 



16 



. A Model House. 



1 - - - 


r — 1 II II n — fl 




-—^--7; 



Fig. 4: — Front Elevation. 

gathering the eggs. This is the usual method of ar- 
ranging perches and nests, and is not objectionable in 
any way ; but I ■ will explain a better arrangement, 
when I touch that subject, in its proper place. The 
closed end of t!ie gutter described on page 13, is shown 
at G. At A the front base of the house is shown raised 
to keep the house cool, in summer; i:i winter this front 



"® 1 O 



Fig. 5 : — Rear Elevation. 

is fastened down, for warmth. One of the upper ven- 
tilators, V, is located at each end of the house. The, 
references F and G, are the same in Fig. 4 as in Fig. 3. 
The dotted line in G shows the position of the tapered 
strip which foims the bottom of the gutter, (see p. 13.) 
In Fig. 5, F is the floor-line and v v the lower ventila- 
tors. All the ventilating holes should be covered with 



"Some of Lee's Ideas." 

■\vire-cloth, such as is used for window and door screens, 
to keep out small animals and birds. Fig. 5 shows the 
method of cutting the boards to best advantage and ap- 
plying them to avoid weakening the structure ; this is 
technicall}- known as "breaking the joints." The ends 
of the boards are made to meet alternately upon the 
two scantlings, (represented b\- the dotted lines at s s,) 
to which they are nailed. The height of this wall is 
twelve feet, and the two scantlings give the necessary 
firmness to that length of tongue-and-grooved stuff. 
The upper ends of these boards will be nailed to the 
scantling which supports the roof, and an inch board 
will be strong enough for the lower ends. 

In other respe(5ls than those noted in this chapter, 
house No. 2 is to be constru(fted by the details given 
for No. I ; no foundation, no sills, no posts. If a brick 
or other foundation is deemed desirable, it will onh- be 
necessarj- to add eight short posts, (at each corner and 
at the center of each side,) extending from the joists 
■which support the floors down upon the foundation. 
The roof is supported by three scantlings ; is made of 
•ommon boards covered with roofing-paper or shingles, 
and the slanting front is made same as the roof. 

In the floor plan. Fig. 6, D is the door, R r the 
perches, DB db the boards under the perches to catch 
the droppings, and beneath these boards a place for 
the nests. This is the usual arrangement, but my plan 



. A Model House. 



D 








DB 


OS 






., -E? 


b- " 



Fia 



6 : — Floor Plan. 



is different. As only a few fowls are expected to be 
kept in each side of this house, — a "breeding-pen" 
consists, ordinarily, of from seven to twelve birds, ac- 
cording to the variety, and not over twenty birds 
should ever be housed together, at any time, — it will 
be a waste of time to clean up the house daily. But 
the dropping boards soon become ver>- unsightly ; I 
therefore discard them altogether. My plan is to fasten 
a strip on each outside wall at the proper height to 
support the end of the perch, — see the dotted line un- 



"Some of Lee's Ideas.' 



17 



tier R, in Fig. 3, p. 14. This is the same height as the 
top of the first course of lath iu the partition, as men- 
tioned ou p. 14 ; and the inner end of the perch is to 
rest on the cross-piece of the partition, or on a strip 
fastened to it. The perch is long enough to spring into 
its place firmly, and it should be removed during tlie 
daytime to be located at a different point 'for the next 
night. I recommend the removal of the perches during 
the daytime, when the fowls are confined to the house 
by severe weather, as they will take more exercise if 
there are no convenient perchiug-places. Exercise is 
absolutely necessary to keep the fowls in good health, 
and it is a noticeable fact that they will not move 
about as much as is good for them, in gloomy weather. 
The perches are to be set at a different place each night 
to avoid an accumulation of droppings on the floor. 
The floor is to be kept covered at all times with chaff, 
or some such litter, which will readilv absorb the 
moisture from the droppings, and the fowls are to be 
encouraged to scratch this about, by grain scattered 
through it. Managed in this way, there will be no 
necessity for cleaning up the house every day, or even 
every week, as the floor is always dry, and the litter 
can be used a long time before it becomes so foul as to 
necessitate its removal. The safe rule is to clean up 
and supply fresh litter whenever a bad odor is noticed 
on opening the house, in the morning ; that is all 



. A Model House. 



the trouble one need take, in the matter. Of course, 
in damp weather the litter will have to be changed fre- 
quently, while in dry warm weather it may not require 
attention for many weeks ; hence no definite time can 
be set apart for this work. 

A ten-foot 2x4 scantling, ripped through its center, 
makes four perches for this house. These will be two 
inches square, and the corners should be planed or 
whittled off, to permit the fowls to grasp the perch, 
without discomfort. A more thorougli consideration 
of the subjedl of perches will be given in a special 
■chapter, later on. 

Instead of building the nests in, as a part of the 
house, I advise the separate nest-box described in the 
special chapter on that suljjedt ; this is best located 
at the space designated nb, in Fig. 6. It should be 
made double, with the entrances at the end which is 
to be placed toward the outside wall. This is away 
from the dire<5t light of the windows, — the hen's in- 
stinct causes her to seek a secluded place for her nest, 
and when once accustomed to the arrangement which 
I have described, there will be no trouble about stolen 
nests. This makes a dark nest, which is the best pre- 
ventive of the egg-eating habit ; for an innocent hen 
sometimes learns that habit by seeing the vicious at 
the nest, and generally an egg accidentally broken 
by a hen that is innocent of the habit, is considered 



"Some of Lee's Ideas." 
■ X, 

a feast, if it is iu sight, — and thus the pernicious hab- 
it is started ; but, if broken iu a dark nest, it is not 
discovered. 

I have so far said nothing regarding the entrance for 
the fowls. Of course the ordinary- entrance, a hole iu 
the wall with some sort of an arrangement for closing 
it at night, will meet the wants of most poultr}- keepers 
but, for the benefit of any who may wish to use it, I 
will explain an inexpensive plan by which to shut out 
the cold wind of winter, as much as possible, while 
permitting the fowls to pass in and out 'at will. Re- 
ferring to Fig. 6, B is a box which may be eighteen 
inches square, more or less, according to the size of 
the fowls kept, and should be a foot or more in height. 
Two of these boxes are shown iu Fig. 6, one for each 
side of the house, and the description and references 
are the same, but as they adjoin the partition thev are 
made to open right and left into the house. The open- 
ings in each box for the fowls to pass through, are 
marked E E, while P is a partition which shuts off the 
direct course between the two openings. In Fig. 7 this 
is more clearly illustrated. The partition is seen at P, 
and the arrows indicate the course of the fowl, in en- 
tering. That side of the box next to the outside wall 
is removed, since it would be useless and inconvenient 
to match an opening in the box with an opening in the 
wall. The five vertical dash lines indicate the boards 



Fig. 7. 

c o o o o 




A Model House. 

Storm-Proof 
::; Entrance. 



of tlie outside wall, with the opening. The opening 
for the use of the fowls is usually about a foot wide, as 
here represented, and a foot or more in height, accord- 
to the size of the fowls which are to use it ; Leghorns 
and other fowls haviug large combs liable to injury, 
should be given ample room to pass through. 

It might be well to proteift the fowls against the drip 
from the slanting front, at the entrance. This can be 
done in a variety of ways. Perhaps the handiest meth- 
od is to fasten a strip, on the slanting front immedi- 
ately above the entrance, in the same manner as in 
construAing a gutter for the roof, (see p. 13.) But if one 
end of the strip is placed a trifle lower than the other, 
the water will be turned off, and there will be no ne- 
cessity for the complete gutter ; the vertical strip used 
need only be about two feet long. A joint of old stove- 
pipe, split in half and tacked on at one edge, would 
furnish the necessary prote(5tion for both openings. 



•Some of Lee's Ideas. " 



19 



A Model House. 



Having passed through this box entrance, the fowl 
is in the lower part of the house. To reach the floor, 
the fowl immediately climbs toward the light, first 
hopping upon the box through which it entered, then 
to the floor. The opening in the floor above the box- 
entrance is of the same size as the box ; this opening 
is it.self boxed up to a height of eighteen inches and a 
trap-door, falling to an angle of forty-five degrees and 
secured there bj' a drop-bolt, closes the fowls in safely 
at night. The outer entrance-hole is also closed by a 
drop-door, so that, if desirable, the fowls can be let in- 
to the lower part of the house but not permitted to go 
outside, in stormy weather. Both of these methods 
for closing up entrances, will be found explained in 
detail, in a special chapter, later on. Of course an ar- 
rangement of the vertical drop could be made to close 
the inside entrance of the box and the floor opening at 
the same time ; but I do not consider this desirable, for 
several reasons. For example, by having the floor- 
opening with a slanting top to the boxing around it, 
the light from the windows will penetrate well under 
the house, which would not be the case if the boxing 
w'ere vertical and open only at the front. 

In summertime, when the front base is raised per- 
manently, (see Fig.3,) to keep the house cool, the box- 
entrance should not be removed ; it will still be needed 
by the fowls in reaching their roosting-places. 





Fig. S :— Fig. 9 :— 

Upper Ventil.\tor. Lou'er Ventilator. 

The two holes under the floor at the back of the 
house, two at the highest point in the side walls, and 
the small open spaces along the floor at the partition 
constitute the system of ventilation, along with the 
box -entrance, in winter, and the open front, in sum- 
mer. In Figs. 8 and 9, v is the wire-covered opening, 
c is the board or tin cover, working on a round-head 
screw, and s is the cord which operates it. To open the 
upper ventilators, the cords are pulled down, — when re- 
leased the cover falls over the opening, where it is held 
by the nail, p ; to open the lower ventilators, the cord 
(which passes up through the floor,) is released, — to 
close, the cords are pulled until nail.d, stops the cover. 
Each of the cords should have a loop to slip over a 
nail ; it will be necessary to regulate the tension of the 
cords to hold the upper ventilators open and the lower 
ventilators closed. 



'Some of Lee's Ideas.' 



20 



. A Model House. 



Wheu the front base is up and all the ventilators 
open there will be a noticeable draft up through the 
small holes in the floor at the partition ; and the 
warmer the weather, the stronger this action will be, 
of course, since the heat rises naturally to the highest 
part of any house and this movement is accelerated 
in house No. 2, by the location of the upper venti- 
lators at the points where they will most readily carry 
off the heat. With a tube ventilator, starting near the 
floor, cooling the house is out of the que.stiou. The 
principal idea, in a tube ventilator, is to remove the 
foul gases which, being heavier than the air, settle at 
floor. But, like the contagious diseases which they en- 
gender, these gases are better prevented than cured, 
and the high, drj' floor, with dry and dusty air be- 
neath it, is an effectual preventive, along with the 
sanitary precautions which I advised on page 17, — q.v. 
In wintertime, it will doubtless be best for the health 
of the fowls to keep the lower ventilators closed and 
have the upper holes half covered, at least; for, no 
matter how carefully built, a house that is not plas- 
tered permits some air to enter below and escape above. 
With a fair amount of judgement in such matters as 
these, there is no good reason why house No. 2 cannot 
be kept comfortable and healthful, at all seasons of 
the year, and in almost any climate in which fowls can 
be profitably kept. 



I have made frequent mention of dust under the 
house. This is a very important item and should be 
fully provided for. The spot upon which the house is 
built should be higher than the level of the ground 
around it ; or a load or two of earth should be filled in 
to make it so, if need be. With this precaution in the 
beginning, there will be little trouble to keep it dry 
afterwards ; and, if thorough!)- spaded up and pulver- 
ized at first, and given an occasional stirring up, the 
earth under the house will quickly- be reduced to what 
is wanted. In addition to always supplying the dust- 
bath, which is indispensable in keeping the fowls in 
good health aiid free of vermin, the dust aids in 
keeping the air dry in the house, thus avoiding, so far 
as can be, the unhealthy vapors which are created in a 
damp house. In winter, the only moisture that can 
get under the house is what is carried in by the fowls 
through the round-aliout box entrance ; in summer the 
open front renders it an easier matter for the fowls to 
destroy the dust ; but when the front is raised, there is 
pfa<flically over a foot added to the width of the space 
under the house, because the base then afts as a roof. 
Hence the dust is well protected from even the storm- 
iest weather. 

Another advantage of this dry, open space under the 
house is in the care of young chicks, in summer; it af- 
fords a very ready refuge, in the event of a sudden 



" Soa;b of Lee's Ide as." ' 

storm, and the ventilating arrangements make it a cool 
shelter from the hot sun. 

Of course, in early springtime, or in chilly weather, 
the young chicks will be confined to the board floor of 
the house, and such arrangements made for their ac- 
commodation there as liest meet the fancy of the per- 
son having charge of them, I should advise placing a 
board at least six inches wide along the partition at 
the floor; there is always some draft there, and very 
young chicks are easily injured. Free from dampness 
well ventilated and affording ample provision for ad- 
mitting light and sunshine, I see no reason why early 



. A Model Housa 



chicks could not be reared in this house with entire 
success, by the natural method. I do not favor arti- 
ficial hatching and rearing, for thoroughbred poultry, 
and those who engage in the market-poultry business 
will adopt a differently arranged house. 

Instead of the matched-stuff which I have recom- 
mended for the sides of tlie house, some may wish to 
use "drop-siding." I have not recommended that ma- 
terial because it requires a frame, which adds mater- 
ially to the cost of the building, while the result has no 
particular advantage, for our purpose, over the con- 
strudlion I have described. 



ON THE FENCE 



CHOICE of three kinds of fenciug material 
is generally available, where an inexpensive 
fence is desired ; and, unless the fence is ex- 
pe<5ted to turn large stock, any of these — lath, 
wire-netting or picket-aud-wire, — will answer fully as 
well as a stronger or more elaborate constru<5tion. Of 
the three, wire-netting is, perhaps, the most popular. 
It is to be recommended on several counts, being very 
durable, handily put up and obtainable at a very reas- 
onable figure, in most of the large cities ; it is sold at 
one cent or less per square foot, in some places. 

There are certain principles which apply in the con- 
struction of all fences, no matter which of the three 
kinds of material is seledled. Stability is the great 
problem, always. This is to be secured, primarily, b}- 
anchoring the posts deep in the grouud. The depth 
to which they should be sunk will vary according to 
circumstances. If in hard clay they would not have 
to be set as deep as in soft sandy soil ; and a post that 
is driven is more stable, for a given depth, than one 
set in a hole dug for it, because the earth can seldom 



be tamped in around the post as firmly as it originally 
was, while a driven post has compacted the earth more 
firmly than its normal condition. 

Again, a wire fence will not offer as much resistance 
to a strong wind as a picket or lath fence, and con- 
sequeutl}- w'ill not require as much firmness in the 
posts. Lath or pickets close together will, for the same 
reason, require the posts to be more firmly set than if 
wide spaces are left between the pickets. The picket- 
and-wire fencing w'ill require stronger and firmer posts 
than any of the other materials named ; in facfl where 
it is used without a base board it is almost certain to 
pull the posts down, sooner or later. Posts for it 
should be 4x4 inches, set at least two feet into the 
ground. Lath or wire-netting is more to be recom- 
mended for a poultrj'-yard or garden fence, however. 
Properly construfted, either is strong and durable e- 
nough for the purpose, and certainly they present a 
better appearance and the lath fence can be made more 
ornamental, by a small amount of extra work in 
trimming the top ends. 



"Some OF Lee's Ideas." 

A very convenient tool for tamping the earth solid 
arovjnd a post is made of a piece of hard wood about 
five feet in length, with the upper end trimmed for a 
handle, the lower end to be about four inches wide and 
not over an inch-and-a-half thick. This will pack the 
earth better than a round stick ; but w-hatever is used 
for this purpose should have a flat side to strike close 
to the post. The dirt should be filled in and tamped 
at the same time, because it cannot be packed firmly 
at the bottom, if the hole is filled full ol loose dirt at 
first, and a post so set could easily be pulled over. 

A fence that separates two yards in which fowls are 
kept, should always have a solid base about two feet 
up from the ground ; this is to pre\-eut fighting through 
the fence, a pastime common to all_breeds of domestic 
poultry and by no means confined to the sterner sex. 
But a solid base is advisable for all poultry and garden 
fences, for other reasons than the one just noted. It 
prevents the straying of small chicks into possible 
harm for themselves or mischief to adjacent grounds. 
It gives strength and stability to the fence. And it is 
less convenient for the entrance of rats and other 
harmful small animals. For a wire-netting fence the 
base is usuallj' made of broad boards, placed horizon- 
tally from post to post ; and as it will not often happen 
that single boards two feet wide can be obtained, the 
hint, which I gave in the last chapter, in regard to 



. On The Fence. 



"breaking the joints," had best be applied in putting 
several boards together for the base of the fence. The 
same rule should also apply in nailing on the single 
board used for the upper rail of the fence, (for these 
light fences, inch-thick boards take the place of scant- 
lings used in the ordinary fence, answer every purpose 
and are not so expensive,) the ends of these upper 
boards should not meet on a post dire(fll\- over a sim- 
ilar joint in the base ; these joints should be at alter- 
nate posts; this is particularly true if the base is made 
of only one board. I suppose I need scarcely mention 
that this is done to keep the fence from danger of 
breaking or racking at the posts in a strong wind. 
The broad base for a lath fence can be made more 
cheaply, and at the same time more ornamental, by 
using two strips of inch-stuff eighteen inches apart, 
upon which half-length lath are nailed, alternating 
with the full-length, thus making the lower half of 
the fence solid. However, no harm would result from 
leaving a half-inch space at each side of the short lath, 
and less material would then be required to build the 
fence. The tops of -both the long and short lath 
should be trimmed to a point ; this can, after a little 
practice, be readily done at one stroke, with a sharp 
hatchet, or one stroke for each side where the point is 
to be at the center of the lath. When so trimmed this 
makes a very ornamental fence, and chickens or birds 



'Some of Lee's Ideas. 



2E 



. On The Fence. 



will not attempt to alight upon it. Few chickens are 
bold enough in flight to go over a fence; they generally 
fly to the top and thence .start again. 

The lower base board should extend across the gate- 
opening, from post to post, to give greater strength to 
the fence, as will be explained in the special chapter 
on gates. 

The height of the fence may vary according to the 
breed of fowls kept or the kind of material used in its 
construction. Wire-netting two feet six inches wide, 
with a solid-base two feet wide, will make a fence of 
sufficient height for the .American and Asiatic breeds 
and for bantams ; and such a fence, with no strip along 
the top to tempt the fowls to fly up, will generally con- 
fine any of the other breeds. And I should here re- 
mark that if poultry is to be profitabh' or satisfactorily 
kept anywhere, — whether it be on a farm, in a fancier's 
yards or merely about the premises for family use, — 
proper provision should he made for keeping it within 
certain bounds; the keeper of thoroughbred stock fully 
appreciates this fact, but poultry, as ordinarily allowed 
to forage about the farm or back-3-ard, (usually unfed,) 
becomes a nuisance "from the very nature of things." 
This is particularly the case where the fowls are taught 
to look for scraps at the kitchen door and scattered 
grain where the horses and hogs are fed. The poultry 
should be fenced away from .such places, if given free 




Fig. lo: — SeI/F-supporting Post. 

range, and I certainly believe the trouble of opening a 
gate in such a fending fence does not counterbalance 
the vexation and waste occasioned bj- "having the 
chickens always in the way." 

The height of the ornamental lath fence, which I 
described on a previous page, would be over four feet. 



"Some of Lee's Ideas." 



26 



. On The Fence. 




I"i;<. II. 

and as the base of it will entirely shut off the fowl's 
view be3-ond and there is uo alighting-place on top, 
there is little danger of an attempt to fly over. 

But a movable fence is often desirable, and in such 
cases some plan for a post that will remain firm on 
the ground must be adopted. The idea shown on the 
preceding page is probably the best of its kind. 
The post, for a lath or wire fence, need not be heavier 
than 2x4 scantling. It is set into a 2x4 base piece, 
(2 in Figs. 10 and 11,) by a half-mortise, as explained 



in Fig. II. The board, (i,) about six inches wide, is 
then nailed on at the bottom. The post is then 
placed in an upright position and the braces, B, put 
on. The block. A, (which is sawn from a 2x4 scrap,) 
is also nailed on. At this stage, the post is to be 
placed in position and the base boards of the fence 
nailed upon it, after which a block like A is to be 
braced against the base, instead of against the post 
on that side ; this is better than to cut the base to 
fit over the block. Nails are driven through the base 
of the fence into brace B. The pieces i and 2 need 
not extend out more than two feet each direction, as 
a wind which would overturn a fence so constructed 
would break down any fence, and providing against 
extraordinarj- circumstances is out of the question. 
The braces and blocks are fastened on by driving 
the nails diagonall}-, as shown at B in Fig. 10 ; this 
is, oddly enough, called "toeing" or "toe-nailing." 

The base boards, being fastened to the braces, add 
firmness to the post ; block A is not in the way, brace 
B would be in the way, on that side of the post ; at 
first glance, it would seem that brace B is more need- 
ed on that side of the post, but the construction of 
the half-mortise is such as to make it scarcely pos- 
sible to move the post "out of plumb" in that direc- 
tion, with no brace against it ; the mortise is not so 
rigid in the other diredtion, however. 



"Some of Lee's Ideas." 




, ON The Fence. 



Fig 



Tlie same principles would apply in constructing a 
corner post, and the onlj- modification of the post in 
Fig. II would be to place one of the braces on 2, in- 
stead of I ; the blocks will then be on the outside of 
the corner and the braces inside, — see Fig. 12. 




Fig. 13- 

Ordinary 2x4 scantling make verj- good posts for 
lath or wire-netting fences; a ten-foot length would 
make two self-supporting posts, but if to be driven into 
the ground they would have to be longer. Scantlings 
can be readily driven, thus avoiding the trouble of 
digging the holes needed for larger posts. 

Of course, the higher the fence the greater its cost 
both actually and proportionately, because more and 
stronger materials are required. This leads us to de- 
vise means to prevent fl^'ing over a fence. As before 
stated, a fence between four and five feet high will 
confine the larger breeds of fowls ; and, if there is no 
opportunit}- given them to alight on the top of the 
fence, there will seldom be any trouble with any of the 
breeds, nor with Turkeys or Guineas. But there is 



"Some of Lee's Ideas," 



2S 



. On The Fence. 



PA n AD n r 


^ n n n n A 11 






"^ {] { A f\ 


A A A A ' /\ f 


i 


K 


/_...L 


i- -L 1 . 1 1 




d 



Fig. 14. 

occasionally an inveterate flyer that must be circum- 
vented. This is generally accomplished by clipping 
the flight feathers of oue wiug. The lady who was so 
■vexed at a hen that she clipped both wings and the 
tail, "and the old thing would fly over the fence anj-- 
how," was mistaken in her philosophy, of course; the 
idea in clipping one wing (and one only,) is to prevent 
a balanced flight, thus causing the fowl to involun- 
tarily fall short of its aim, and it will give up, in dir- 
gust, after a few attempts. Clipping the flight feathers 



1 n r 

—in n n 


n n n 


i 


i 


n n p] 1 — I 

1 II ll lliill ll ll 11 .1 II 


—L^LL-iJ — n 11 11 M. U-U li — M. 11.1- 


P 


. 11 ,, ,, ,. ., ,, ,, ,, ,, ,,-,, ,, \ 

L J_L J 1. 1 


^ 


/ 



Fig- 15- 

square off sometimes causes such injury to the wing 
that the new feathers which grow in afterwards show 
defeAs in color or strucflure, and the fancier cannot 
afford to take any risks, in this particular, with valu- 
able fowls. Therefore, if a wing is to be clipped, he 
will trim off onl)' the webbed portion of each feather, 
leaving the shaft untouched. This causes no injury, 
and the feather will remain its natural length of life, 
instead of dropping prematurely, as is usual where 
the shaft is injured. 



"Some of Lee's Ideas." 



29 




. On The Fence. 



2 



Fi- 



re. 



But such a remed}- is ouly tL-uiporary, at best ; the 
wiser plan is to stretch a wire along the top of the 
fence, as shown in Fig. 13. It is best located about 
ten inches inside of and almost on a level with the top 
of the fence ; the idea is to so place it that the fowl's 
wings will strike it, in an attempt to fly up. A small 
wire will mistify most fowls, but almost any kind of 
wire will answer the purpose. 

Figs. 14, 15, 16, 17, iS, 19, 20 and 21 suggest different 
methods of ornamental trimming of lath fences ; in 



c 



r 



r 



h h h lU h h h h h h h 



i 




Fig. 17. 

some of these sketches, the laths do not extend as far 
above the top rail as they should, (and as a four-foot 
length would allow,) but the idea is explained and 110 
attempt is made to picture the fence itself. One post 
(p) is represented in each sketch. The lower and 
upper rails, in this style of fence should be inch-thick 
boards about six inches wide; the middle rail, in the 
styles requiring it, may be a mere strip. 

Generally speaking, it is not in good taste to com- 
bine two methods of trimming pickets. For instance 



'Some of Lee's Ideas." 

Hh 1 ^ K Ah A 


( 




S 




' (A / A A . 


^ A A ^ A A A 


^ 




'«- 




p 

_1 1 




1 




i 



» 



. On The Fence. 



Fig. iS. 

the pickets shown iu Fig. 20 would not look well in 
combination with those of Fig. 21. An important ex- 
ception to this rule, however, is shown in Figs. 17, iS, 
19; siile-pointed short pickets might endanger the life 
of some fowl, (a young Turkey, for instance,) foolish 
enough to attempt to go through the broader space a- 
bove and thereby hanging itself. With the square end 
or center-pointed picket there is no risk. 

As a rule one small nail at each place will answer 
every purpose and is really better than two because 



n^hdK/ihdh^hflK 




^ 


AAA A 
A 


A A f\ /\ /\ 

A A 


i 


V. 


P 




^ 


^ 



Fig. 19. 

the lath breaks easier where two nail-holes are made 
in it. 

A plan which is sometimes used for Bantams and 
where pigeons or other birds are troublesome, is to 
cover the whole top of the run with wire-netting. A 
fence of the ordinary height would be a useless ex- 
pense, in connedtion with this. ProbabU- the best 
plan would be to lay out the runs in long and narrow 
form, making the side fences only about two feet high 
and the end fences of the ordinary height. The net- 



'So.ME OF Lee's Ideas.' 



. On The Fence. 



hhhhhhh "i h h h h Kh 
1 


? 


1 
p 


f 



^J 



Fig. 2o. 

ting used for the cover to be in two secftions, meeting 
along the center of the runway and so arranged that 
they can be raised up to a perpendicular along the line 
of each side fence, when it is necessary that the at- 
tendant should enter the runway. 



t'f\C\C\t(\^AA/\A/^f\ 



> 



Fig. 21. 

The loiig and narrow form is best for all yards, for 
many reasons, where the fowls are kept confined ; the 
principal reason is that the same area will afford more 
range for exercise, if long than if nearer square in 
form. 



ON THE GHTE. 



DEALING, as we are, with exadlly the same 
kinds of materials, in the construction of 
gates, as in the construction of fences much 
of what was treated upon in the chapter on 
fences applies here and need not be repeated. I sup- 
pose it is scarcely necessary to remark that for the 
sake of appearances it is wisest to use the same ma- 
terial in the gate as is used in the fence ; or, in other 
words, a gate made of wire-netting would not look well 
placed in a lath fence, or vice versa. 

As before stated, I think it best to continue the base- 
board of the fence across the opening made for the 
gate, as this will add firmness to the posts. This base- 
board is a famous perching-place for the chickens, 
when the gate is standing open, and for that reason it 
is advisable, where the heavier breeds are kept, to nail 
a strip on the base-board to make the top edge wide 
enough to avoid an injury to the breast-bone. I had a 
practical lesson on this subje(5t once, and several nice 
young Brahmas went to pot. 



Another advantage in having the base-board across 
the opening is that it affords a support to prevent the 




Fig. 22. 
sagging which occurs in a greater or less degree in all 
gates of the ordinary construction. 



■SoMBOP Lee's Ideas." 



K 



K 



K 



\ 



K 



K 



K 



^ 



N 



"Ml^^ 



KK 



Fig. 23. 
How to prevent sagging is perhaps the most import- 
ant question to be considered, in connection with the 
gate. The plan most commonly employed is that illus- 
trated in Figs. 23 and 24. The brace may be doubled, 
as shown in Figs. 25 and 26, which, of course, adds to 
the rigidity. Another plan is to suspend the gate b)- a 
wire, as shown in Fig. 22. This wire serves for a hinge 



n 



On The Gatb. 



^t 



S II 




Fig. 24, 
as shown in the sketch, which calls for no further ex- 
planation, I believe. 

For a lath gate no frame is needed. The laths are to 
be merely nailed upon boards in the same manner as 
in building the fence itself. Then, if properly braced, 
such a gate, with reasonable care, will be as durable 
as the fence itself. 



"Some of Lee"s Ideas." 




Fig- 25- 

The brace, as well as the two batten's, should be inch 
strips. The brace, being bevelled at the ends, is to be 
toe-nailed to the battens, and the laths are to be nailed 
to the brace as well as to the battens. Made in this 
way such a gate is very firm, considering the materials. 

Figs. 22, 23, 24, 25 and 26 show various styles of lath 
gates, under the method of construction which I have 
recommended. 



Fig. 26. 
In construdling a gate with wire-netting, a frame 
must be made, and it is well to brace this in both di- 
rections, as shown in Fig. 27. In making this frame 
there is no necessity for mortising at the corners ; the 
use of long wire nails will make it strong enough for 
the purpose, where two braces are employed as shown 
in the drawing. The upper and lower pieces of the 
frame should be a trifle longer than is needed for the 



■Some of Lee's Ideas.' 



3S 



On The oate. 




Fig. 27. 

frame, to allow for the fastening, the nails being driv- 
en through these pieces into the ends of th.e uprights. 
Some hints on the subject of fastenings will be given 
later, in a special chapter. 

As a rule, a gate is handiest if it is hung so as to be 
pulled open with the right hand or pushed open with 






Fig. 2S : — Another ^Method of Bracing the Frame. 

the left. But circumstances often make it necessary to 
reverse this. F^or instance, it is better to hang the gate 
to swing against a wall than to swing away from it, be- 
cause the passage opened is more free and the fasten- 
ing is more conveniently reached. On general princi- 
ples, the hinge at the wall is firmest, anyway. 



ABOUT DOORS. 



/^"^ VERY-DAY DOORS are made of common 
^^^■bJ tongue-and-grooved stuff, applied vertically 
% jj and held together by "battens." These are 

"^V generally an inch thick and about six inches 
wide, very secureh" nailed at about twelve inches from 
the bottom of the door and eighteen inches from the 
top. Sometimes a diagonal brace is inserted, in the 
same manner as in a gate, but for ordinarj- use the 
battens make the door strong and firm enough, if well 
nailed on. Figs. 29 and 30, (next page,) explain this 
style of door and the method of construeling it, with 
and without a diagonal brace. 

The ordinary size for a door of this kind is about 
three feet wide and six feet or more high. What was 
said in the last chapter as to hanging a gate will apply 
to a door as well. If the door is located near one cor- 
ner of the house, as in Design No. 2, then it should 
open outward away from the corner or inward against 
the north wall. The reasons for this are, — first, if the 
door were hung to swing out past the corner it would 
be liable to injury if opened violently by the wind or 



through carelessness ; but if a fence were attached to 
that corner, either at a right-angle to the door or in 
line with it, then there might be no serious objection 
to having the door swing northward, and probably that 
wouUl be most convenient where the fence joined at a 
right-angle : secondh', if the door were made to swing 
in toward the center of the room it would, of course, be 
in the way for several reasons. 

An extra board should be nailed so as to 

cover the crack at each side of the door. In 

Figs. 29, 30 and 31 the extra boards are num- 

liered i and the wall boards 2 ; the dash lines 

on boards i i represent the edges of the door, 

in Figs. 29 and 30. These extra boards ser\-e 

a good purpose, also, in making th* hinges 

and fastenings more secure than they would 

be on only one thickness of board. 

Fig. 31. In applying these extra boards notches may 

be cut to fit the battens of the door, (Fig. 29,) 

or the ends of the battens can be trimmed off to make 

this unnecessary, (Fig. 30.) 



"Some o f Lee's Ideas." 



Fig. 
29- 



W^kK"^ 



.About Doors. 



Fig. 





.>fJl./<«Jv 



'Some of Lee's Ideas.' 









r*> 








- 1' 








\ 


\ 




JuuuL 








About Doors. 



Fig- 31- 

Doors for partitions are made like gates, — Figs. 31 
and 32, — either of long strips, (31,) or of lath, (32.) 



Fig- 32- 
It would be wise, also, to use such a door to close the 
main entrance, duriug warm weather. In winter, when 



'Some of Lee's Ideas.' 



40 



. About Doors. 



5. 
not needed, it can remain swung back against the wall 
out of the way, or it can be removed entirely. The 
wire hinge described in the next chapter is very handy 
where the door is to be removed, and it will support 
these light doors as well as gates. 

Such doors may be braced in the ordinary way. Fig. 
31, or by a wire like the gate shown in Fig. 22. This 
method is shown in Fig. 32, which is, to my mind, a 
ver)' attractive design, in several ways. Full-length 
lath, above the nearly solid base which is made of 
half-lengths, brings the height up to six feet. A nar- 
row strip, or a lath, will answer for the cross-piece to 
join the laths upon. In applying the suspending-wire 



the upper end should be shaped for the hinge and then 
the lower end filed to a point and bent to a right-angle. 
The door is then to be adjusted squarely and this point- 
ed end driven in to hold it so. A staple, such as used 
for putting up wire netting, or a hand-made staple of 
about the same size, should then be driven down over 
the wire near where it enters the wood, and the wire 
may also be secured with staples at each lath. If the 
points go through the lath they can be clinched into 
the wood by holding an axe, or any weighty piece of 
iron, against the lath where the points will emerge. 
This is better, and much neater, than to attempt to 
clinch the points after they are driven through. 



HBOUT HINGES. 



POR HANGING a door or a gate the ordinary 
strap or half-strap hinge can be used, but if 
a number of hinges are needed it may be wise 
to adopt something more economical. 
In applying a hinge care should be taken to adjust it 
to move freely; if "on a strain" caused by crooked ad- 




Fig- 33-— Strap Hinge. 




Fig- 35- 

justment, the hinge will in time become loose or other- 
wise occasion trouble. In applying a half-strap hinge 



the broad end is fastened to the gate or door. A hinge 
is always fastened to the gate or door first ; then, after 
adjusting the gate or door to its opening, the hinge is 
permaneutl)' fixed to the support. 

With the idea of a ser\^iceable hinge which would be 
cheap and easilj- made by hand, I have designed a 




Fig. 34,— Half-strap Hinge. 




Fig. 36- 

hinge to be made from any heavy wire ; two pieces of 
old telegraph or telephone wire, each about three and 



•Some of Lee's Ideas.' 



iS 



. ABOUT Hinges. 



one-half inches in length, bent as shown in Figs. 35 
and 36, will make a hinge that will answer as well for 
the light gates and doors recommended, as something 
more expensive, and will wear at least as long as such 
a gate remains in usable condition. Long wire nails 
can be used, but I have recommended old telegraph 
wire because it can be picked up almost anywhere and 
saved until needed. Fig. 37 shows the hinge complete. 




.^C 



Fig. 37- 

These wires are so shaped that they can be driven like 

nails, (a great point in favor of such a 

hinge,) and will not suffer alteration in 

being driven, if they are shaped prop- 

erl}', in the beginning, — and this is an 

imporatnt item. In the part, (Fig. 35,) 

intended to be driven into the post, the 

vertical end, i, is at a right-angle with 

the loop, 2, and this loop is one-sided; 

if this loop were symmeti'ical, like the 

loop in Fig. 36, the force exerted in 

driving it, would enlarge and otherwise 

distort the loop. Fig. 38 shows a hinge 

in use, — p the post, G the gate. Fig. 38. 



When the part of the hinge is driven into the post 
until there is just room for the gate-loop to slip into 
place, a nail should be driven into the post close up 
under the loop ; this gives greater firmness to the 
hinge, for constant use. Likewise when the loop is 
driven to its place in the gate, (which is just enough 
to permit it to slip over the spike, i. Fig. 35,) a nail 
should be driven into the gate above the loop ; this 
nail should not be driven quite home, stopping when 
the head is at about the point marked i in Fig. 36, so 
as to fill up the angle in the loop. These nails, it 
will be noticed, strengthen the parts in the direction 
towards which the weight of the gate is pushing them, 
— downward in the post, upward in the gate. 

In driving the parts of this hinge it will generally 
be found advisable to slant them laterally' enough to 
place the loops at the corner ; this will allow the gate 
to open wide. To permit the hinge to work freely, 
both loops should be exa<5t!y horizontal, one resting 
fiat upon the other; if the}' are not just right, after 
driving, they should be treated with hammer or nip- 
pers. Likewise, if the weight of the gate does not 
rest equally on both hinges, a hammer should be used 
to adjust them. 

Properly made and adjusted, such a hinge will last 
a reasonable length of time and, everything consid- 
ered, prove as satisfactory as could be wished. Not 



"Some of Lee's Ideas." 

■ — — : — TT^, 

the least item in its favor 
can be lifted off at will. 



. About Hinges. 



is the fadt that the gate 




Fig- 39- 



A quarter twist in loop 36 will adapt the hinge to 
use as a door-hinge, making the flat of the loop at 




Fig. 40. 



a right angle with the ends of the wire which were to 
be-driven, — Fig. 39. If these ends are to be fastened 



flat on the side of the door, b}- the use of staples, 
Fig. 40, the points need not be sharpened ; but a bet- 
ter hinge for this purpose, (and one that is as well 
adapted for a gate,) is made by the modifications 
shown in Fig. 41. In this, after the quarter-twist has 
been made, the ends are spread to a Y, and then a- 
bout an inch at the point is turned down and sharp- 
ened for driving into the wood, at 2, 2. The part 
should then be secured by a long staple near the edge 
of the door ; and if this staple can be clinched, it will 
be more secure. 




.v^^pv-- 



Fig. 41. 

The other part of the hinge is merely to be driven 
direAly through the wall, as near to the edge as is 
safe, and the point clinched back into the wood. 



GHTE AND DOOR FfiSTENINGS. 



y^'yf Am fastenings which can be depended 
■ ^^1^^ upon are among the most important items to 
^ J| be dealt with, whether it be about the farm, 
V the garden or the fancier's };ards. On this 
subject I cannot do better than to quote from what I 
wrote for the Poultry llonthly some time ago, giving 
a description of the fastening which I recommend for 
all gates not exposed to rogues of the quadruped or 
biped order. 

"Where there are a number of yards each requiring 
a gate, the question of a suitable fastening is some- 
times an expensive one, and it is a vexatious one as 
well, if the fastening fails to do its work well. Man)- 
a charge of fraud can be traced to an insecure gate or 
door fastening, which permitted the mixing of the 
fowls in two yards for a Short time. I once bought 
some Light Brahma eggs, which were to be selected 
for me from two hens ; when they were hatched, it be- 
came evident the babies were mixed, for there was one 
which looked like a Silver 'WVandotte in color, comb, 
etc., although it had slightly feathered shanks; an- 



other chick was a little lighter in color, but had the 
other Wyandotte characteristics and fairly feathered 
shanks ; a third showed traces of Wyandotte color 
onl\-. Hence I concluded that the hen which laid 
those eggs had been guilty of an indiscreet meeting 
with a Wyandotte neighbor ; whether the impurity 
went further than these three chicks, it was of course 
impossible to decide. The breeder was astonished at 
the result of the hatch ; no doubt some of the help 
about the place had separated the birds without re- 
porting to him. Such cases may happen on any 
poultry farm. 

"A fastening that is inexpensive and at the same 
time reliable is therefore a necessity. The sketch 
• given herewith shows a fastening for a gate that 
costs next to nothing, and is as secure for either a 
firm or a sagging gate, as any handy fastening that 
can be devised, I think. It is self-fastening and al- 
ways ready to catch the gate. It will be seen to be a 
modification of the common iron drop-hook fasten- 
ing, but it has the advantage of that fastening in 



"Some cf Lee's Ideas." ■ ' 

tliat it will permit much more sagging of the gate 
before it needs resetting. If the gate in time sags con- 
siderably, the nail P can be drawn and redriven higher 



. Gate and Door Fastenings. 




Fig. 4;. 

np, tlms making allowance for almost any sag that maj' 
occur in the life of any well-made gate. But the fas- 



tening itself can be readily readjusted by removing the 
screw s and driving it lower down to make the fasten- 
ing level with the gate. The fastening is opened by 
raising the hook end or depressing the small end. It 
should be made of hard wood, — beech, elm, sycamore 
or other scraps about the place can be utilized ; a piece 
of old barrel stave will answer admirably. The en- 
larged drawing, (Fig. 43,) shows the shape to cut it. 




,0 



A large wire-uail can be used instead of a screw, and 
will answer every purpose ; the hole in the fastening 
should be larger than the screw or nail used, else the 
fastening may not drop down to its place freely in wet 
weather. The small nail p keeps the fastening always 
ready to catch, prevents its swinging down out of place 
and, if rightly located, the gate in closing will knock 
the fastening down into place, in case it should remain 
lip when opened." 

The size of such a fastening would, of course, depend 
upon the work expe<5ted of it. If for a light gate, the 



■Some of Lee's Ideas.' 



46 



cross-piece being one inch thick and the post against 
which it shuts being 2x4, placed flatwise with the fence 
then a scrap of hard wood a half-inch-thick, two inches 
wide and about seven inches long will make a suitable 
fastening. Having shaped it as shown bj- Fig. 43, it is 
to be adjusted on the post to allow the hook to catch 
freely over the gate ; this should be done with the gate 
in position. The small nail or brad, p, is then driven 
into the post to hold the fastening horizontal, and for 
this purpose it need not project more than one-fourth 
of an inch. This small nail can be driven above and 
to the rear of the screw, S, as shown in the drawings, 
or it can be driven under the fastening in front of the 
screw. 

The small nail located as in Fig. 43 will alwaj-s keep 
the fastening at the horizontal position, but if it is de- 
sired the nail can be placed in such a position that the 
fastening will stay in a nearly vertical position, when 
thrown up. By experimenting a little, this small nail 
can be so located that the gate in closing will knock a- 
gainst the lower end of the fastening, when up, so as to 
make it catch the gate automatically. I should advise 
that such a precaution be taken in all cases where the 
plan shown in Fig. 43 is not followed. 

The same idea can be worked out in stiff wire, as I 
have roughly shown in Fig. 44. A round-head screw, 
S, should be used for attaching it to the post. If the 



, Gate and Do'ir Fastenings. 



post is two inches thick, then the fastening will be 
about five and a half inches long, when completed, and 
require about ten inches of wire to make it. The ends 
should be turned back, as shown in the drawing, to 
avoid injur)- to clothes or hands in passing. 




Fig. 44. 

The nail for holding this fastening in position may 
be placed inside of the rear loop, just over the point 
marked X in the drawing, but perhaps it is better 
placed near the front edge of the post and under the 
wire, — p, in the drawing. The fastening can then be 
thrown up out of the way when the gate is opened, 
and the gate, in closing, will touch the rear loop below 
x.thus throwing it into position; the fastening adjusted 
in this way is thus automatic in any position. 



•e^ 



^ 



•'Some of Lee's Ideas.' 



.Gate and Door Fastenings. 



QUOTING 
Monthl}' : 
"This 
the old-fashi 
and gates. 



AGAIN from the article iu the Poultry 

small nail, P, is also an improvement on 

oned button used as a fa.stening for doors 

I have often wondered that the idea has 




not come into universal use with these buttons long 
ago ; but I have never seen it except where I suggested 
it. Without the nail the button is treacherous ; it 
often turns to the vertical position, particularly if 



loose, and to prevent this the common practice is to 
tighten up the screw with a hanmier or screw-driver. 
But this nail, p, once driven would forever obviate the 
trouble. The buttons as commonly shaped, with screw 
or nail at the center. Fig. 45, can have the nail ap- 
plied to hold them in place, but it is better to insert 
the screw near one end. Fig. 46, for many reasons." 




Fig. 46. 

The nail p should not be placed so far back that 
the button when thrown back, would interfere with the 
closing of the door. 

Secured in this way such a button will probably be 
most satisfactory if it is loose enough to fall into its 
place freely ; a round-head screw is best, and if a flat- 



•Some of Lee's Ideas ■ 



4S 



. Gate and Door Fastenenc 



head is used the hole should be reamed out with the 
point of a knife-blade to fit the screw-head. 

These buttons are usable from only one side of a 
door and from only one side of a gate also, unless the 
gate is so low as to permit reaching over it, — a height 
which is generally insufficient. Some plan to turn 
the button from the other side would therefore add 
to the usefulness of the button, in man^- case.s, for it 
is freqently applied to doors of stables, corn-cribs, and 
in fact to most of the many different kinds of out- 
buildings about any dwelling-place. 




Fig- 47- 

The problem is an easy one. The button is to be 
made as I have just advised and the screw which holds 
it is to be tight in the button, passing loosely through 
the wall and screwing firmly into a block on the inside 



of the building. When this block is turned the but- 
ton will, of course, turn with it. The hole in the wall 
should be larger than the shank of the screw, to allow 
the fastening to move freely, and the screw should not 
be driven so far into the block as to bind the button 
against the wall. To secure the button more firmly 
to the screw, it would be well to make a wire staple, 
w in Fig. 47, to be driven into the button over the 
screw-head, after all is in place, the wire to be sunk 
into the slot in the screw-head, — see detail at .A.. 

The nail to keep the button from falling out of po- 
sition can be applied above the button, as in Fig. 46, 
or below it, as in Fig. 47. 



® 



Fig. 4S. 

The small metal buttons, of manj- shapes and sizes, 
used about the house for the doors of cabinets, book- 
cases, etc., should also have a brad or tack applied to 
save the vexation they are continuallj' causing. For 
these, a piece of a common pin about a half-inch long 
will answer. 



•Some of Lee's Ideas." 



49 



.Gate and Door Fastenings. 



":> 



THE so-called secret fastening for doors affords op- 
portunit}- for the exercise of much ingenuity; at the 
same time the simplest contrivance for the purpose is 
probably as good as any, and as free from objedlions. 
In Fig. 49, which shows the inner side of the door, A is 
a strip of half-inch stuff, about twenty-two inches in 
length; this is adjusted to projeA an inch or so beyond 
the front edge of the door, thus passing that much be- 
hind the wall, when at rest. In the upper end of this 
strip a wire-nail, i, is driven ; the head of this nail pro- 
jects a little beyond the outer surface of the door and 
is used to operate the fastening. A slot, i 2, which is 
too thin for the nail-head to pass through, allows the 
nail to be pushed upward. Possibly a crack in the 
door can be enlarged for this purpose, thus adding to 
the deception. A broad staple, made of strong wire, 
is fastened very securely as close to the front edge of 
the door as is safe. A shoulder on the lower edge of 
the strip, (at 3,) or a small nail driven there, will pre- 
vent slipping too far forward, but if the slot terminates 
at I so as to allow the nail to pass no further downward 
this precaution will not be necessary. Sliding the 
nail upward in the slot two inches withdraws the 
slide A more than an inch. If the slide were longer 




I'ig- 49- 
than twenty-two inches the nail would have to be 



'Some of Lee's Ideas.' 



eo 



. Gate and Door Fastenings. 




pushed further. The weight of the slide causes it to 
aiSt automaticallj-, when the door is closed. Of course 
uothiug but the head of the nail is visible ou the outer 
side of the door, aud, as this is not where one would 
expe<5l to look for a fastening, the uninitiated would 
scarcel}- suspect its connection with the fastening. 
A knob or some other means of pulling open the door 
should be provided. 

Another plan, applicable to some doors, is shown in 
Fig. 50. This consists of a slide A, operated by a lever 
which extends upward to the top of the door. An el- 
bow joint, B, connects the two parts. The lever is at- 
tached to the door at c, by a wire nail on which it 
works loosely. The front end of the slide is held in 
place by a wire staple, or by a piece of wood shaped for 
the purpose, and brads driven into the slide on both 
sides of the staple prevent the slide moving too fax 
either way. A nail in the upper end of the lever is to 
be reached from the outside, or what is better, a nail 
kept convenient is used to operate the lever. Pushing 
the end of the lever towards the front edge of the door 
withdraws the slide ; to fasten the door the top of the 
lever must be pushed back. This fastening is in no 
sense automatic. 



fef/JJ-'v,^ 



TRAP DOORS, ETC. 



^^ T OLES to allow the fowls to pass in and out of 
I I a building should be provided with some sort 

I I of a door, secure, at least, against the iutru- 
^ sion of rats or other destructive animals, at 
night. Such a door may be arranged to fall into place 
vertically, or it may act on the trap-door principle, fall- 
ing flat or at an angle, according to circumstances. I 
shall consider the three kinds together, for conven- 
ience. 

These doors are generally opened and closed by a 
cord, which is carried over pulleys to a point where it 
can be conveniently reached. Some plan by which 
the same cord can be utilized to operate the fastening 
as well, is desirable as saving time and trouble. 

The door recommended for the model house in an 
early chapter, falls to an angle of about forty-five de- 
grees. This is roughly shown in Fig. 51. The bolt 
should be heavy enough to fall easily into place, when 
the cord is slackened ; weight is the only requisite, the 
shape may be almost anything that will slide up and 
down ; hence almost any scrap of iron three or more 



inches in length, with a hole near one end, can be 
utilized, by making the anchorings to fit. A plug of 
wood should be driven into the hole and the uail by 




Fig- 51- 
which the cord is attached is to be driven into this 
plug ; this will be found to be a better plan than to at- 
tempt to fasten the nail by clinching. 

The door is hinged at the top so as to be operated 
by the cord, c, attached to the bolt near the bottom. 



■Some op Lee's Ideas.' 



52 



The bolt is held on the door by two staples, through 
which it slides freelj-. The cord passes under the lower 
staple ; thus when the door is down and the bolt in 
place, a slight tension on the cord withdraws the bolt 
and a further tension raises the door. The bolt in its 
upward motion is stopped when the nail by which the 
cord is attacheil touches the staple, or a special nail, s, 
may be used for that purpose. Ordinary I' staples may 



. On Trap Doors. Etc. 



M 



Fig. 52,— U Staple. Fig. 53,— BI .Staple. 

be used for attaching the bolt, but if the wear on the 
liftiug-cord is objectionable, a pulley on a M staple 
should be used for the cord to pass under. (This will 
be described later ou in this chapter.^ When a pulley 
is used, the uail s should stop the bolt before the nail 
which attaches the cord clogs the pulley. It would be 
well to conne(5l uail s and the main cord by a short 
cord which will just come taut when the bolt is down. 



The socket into which the bolt drops may be a staple 
or it may be merelj- a hole in a strip of wood, as shown 
iu Fig. 51 ; this latter will l)e found to possess certain 
advantages. Whatever is adopted for this purpose, 
provision must be made against its becoming clogged 
with mud, carried on the feet of the fowls passing over 
it ; if the hole is open below, as shown, it will not fill 
easily, and it can be readily opened, iu case it should, 
in time, become clogged. 



Fig- 54- 

The hinges may be of the ordinary strap or half- 
strap pattern, but a wire hinge is very sert'iceable, aud 
I advise its use because it need only cost the time re- 
quired to shape it. Fig. 54 shows a hinge which I in- 
vented for this purpose ; this and other forms of small 
hinges, which will be shown later, all are intended to 
be driven with a hammer, like nails, as was the case 
with the wire gate-hiuge I gave a few pages back. It 
is certainly a great advantage to have a hinge that will 
do the work, can be driven about as readily as a nail, 
and can be made easily from scraps of wire that would 
otherwise be useless. As the hinge is as secure as a 
clinched nail, it will at once be seen that a large wire 
in not needed for the iucli-thick materials ihost com- 



■Some of Lee's Ideas.' 



monly used ; wire one-twelfth of an inch in diameter 
is strong enough, and a length of about two-and-a-half 
inches will make each part. The loops should be 
made just large enough, since the hinge would be 
loose, if the}- are too large. In adjusting it the spike- 
end of No. 2 is to be driven into the corner, at an 
augle of about twenty degrees, until the loop enters 
the wood a trifle; the L-end is then driven down, after 
which the spike-end of No. i is driven iuto its place 
through the loop of No. 2, and the L-end clinched iuto 
the wood. After driving a hinge or two, it will be an 
easy matter to adjust the loops properly. The ends of 
the wires will not need sharpening if they are cut diag- 
onally; the point of the diagonal end should be di- 
rected as shown in the drawing, to prevent spreading 
under the hammer, and to hook into the wood ; the 
wire will "lead" in whatever direction the point is 
slanted. 

******* 

F)R the drop-dcor, which is not hinged, the drop- 
fastening shown in Fig. 55 viforks to perfe<ftion. It 
is merely a piece of wood, or iron, so hinged to the top 
of the door by one end that the lifting-cord, attached 
to the other end, operates the fastening automatically. 
Any convenient method of hinging may be adopted ; 
the drawing shows a M staple made in the end of the 



. On Trap Doors, Etc. 
Fig- 55- 




Fig. 56. 




Fig- 57- 



Fig. 58. 




bv,5;b 



vaJ 



•Some of Lee's Ideas." 



. On Trap Doors, Etc. 



fastening and driven down into the top of the door. 
(See directions for inserting staples into pulleys, etc., 
latter part of this chapter.) As will be seen in the en- 
larged drawing. Fig. 56, the end of the fastening. A, en- 
ters a recess or pocket in the wall, w. It would be 
practically impossible to raise the door from the out- 
side, when the fastening is down, but secvirity against 
the use of a pry is easily provided, by having the lower 
edge of the door protedled, as shown in Fig. 55. The 
lifting cord, c, carries to a pulley direAly above the 
door ; tension at first raises the fastening to the per- 
pendicular and then pulls the door up. When the 
door is again dropped, the fastening falls outward nat- 
urally, thus locking automatically. 

Of course a drop-door must be provided with "ways" 
to slide in ; the simplest plan is to nail a strip, about 
twice the length of the door and a trifle thicker than 
it, upon the wall at either side of the door; then an- 
other pair of .strips on these, projedting over the edges 
of the door, and a nail in the wall above to stop the 
door at a proper height, completes the arrangement. 
A loop in the lifting-cord to hook over a convenient 
nail or peg will hold the door open at a proper height. 
In the house designs given, the cord extends to near 
the outer door ; hence it is not necessary to enter the 
house to let the fowls out. 



TN carrying the lifting-cord to a point where it can be 
i conveniently reached, small pullej-s are needed ; my 
plan for making these is to cut a groove around a 
braid-spool, (Figs. 57, 58,) although a short spool of 
any sort might be made to answer. Spools are gener- 
ally thrown away as useless, but they can be turned 
to a variety of uses. But of course these small pulleys 
can very readily be made by whittling a piece of hard 
wood to the proper size, boring a hole in the end of it 
and then sawing it in sections of proper thickness. In 
many localities, the stems of the common elder will 
save the trouble of whittling and boring. 

In putting a pulley upon a staple of any pattern, the 
wire is to be shaped for one side, then threaded into 
the pulley before the other side is shaped. The M sta- 
ple is easily driven when in a pulley, but it would be 
very difficult to drive a U staple without injuring the 
pulley. The staple should be driven deep, so that the 
cord cannot jump out of the groove. 

Often a pulley can be better put up by driving a 
wire-nail through the hole, in which case a verj' good 
way to keep the cord in its groove is to bend a strip of tin 
over it, both ends of the strip being held by the nail, 
as shown in Fig. 58. This strip should be so shaped 
that it will not bind on the edges of the pulley, thus 
interfering with its free movement. 



ON THE PERCH, 






that; 



N MAKING PERCHES extremes should be 
avoided, I think. Many contend that thej- 
should be broad and flat, like that shown in 
^cross-section at Fig. 6d, or even broader than 
the claim being advanced that such a perch pre- 
vents the evil of "crooked breast-bone," in the heavier 
varieties of fowls. I never could quite believe this, for 
the reason that such a perch is uncomfortable for the 
fowl as is evidenced by the fa(5l that a perch which can 
be grasped by the toes is preferred always, when the 
fowl is given any choice in the matter, and this is 
borne out by a study of the foot itself. If the fowl's 
leg be bent into the position which it must assume 
when its owner is sitting at ease, the toes will auto- 
matically close, and they cannot readily be spread, but 
if the leg be straightened, the toes spread of their own 
accord. Hence it will be seen that if the fowl is com- 
pelled to sit all night long in a position which cramps 
the foot, its weight will necessarily be thrown on the 
breast-bone, (the very thing to be avoided as much as 



possible), while if given a comfortable perch, the 
weight rests where it should rest, — on the feet. 

I think the whole trouble arose from the injury done 
by perches that were too small ; a small round perch 
is as much a source of discomfort as a broad flat one, 
and, of course, more liable to do harm. It is also true 
that when the corners of the broad perch are much cut 
off, the same harm may be done as bj' a round perch, — 
a comparison of the curve in highest part of Fig. 62 
with 59 will show this. 




Fig. 59. 



60. 



61. 



62. 



In view of the foregoing facts, it seems evident that 
the best and safest form of perch is that which the 
fowl can grasp without discomfort and is, at the same 
time, flat on top ; such a perch is shown in section at 



"Some of Lee's Ideas." 



C6 



Fig. 6i. It is merely a two-inch-square bar, with the 
upper corners rounded off a trifle. A 2x4 scantling, 
about five feet long, ripped through the center, makes 
the two perches needed for the house designs given in 
previous chapters. 



. On The Perch. 




Fig. 63. 

Methods for supporting the perch at a proper height 
are various. The old-time idea which sanctioned the 
arrangement of a group of perches lowest in front and 
graduall}' rising higher towards the rear, has followed 
the road of man}- other harmful notions in poultry cul- 
ture, — for the reason that the fowls would struggle for 
the possession of the highest perch and this resulted 
in trouble and occasional injury. 

In the house designs which I have given, the perch 
for each side rests upon blocks or strips attached to 
the walls and partitions ; this, as explained, is a most 



convenient arrangement, since the perch can be set on 
end in a corner, when not in use. 

However, as it is often desirable to have the perch 
"self-supporting," I give a design for a trestle which 




Fig. 64. 

is easily construfled and which meets all the require- 
ments fully, I think. The two ends are shown in per- 
spective in Fig. 63, and detail of the end is given at 
Fig. 64. Of course the perch may be almost any de- 
sired length, bxit would be unwieldly if longer than 
eight feet. A length of two-and-a-half feet will be 
sufficient for the legs of the trestle, which may be 
made of 2x4 stuff, although a lighter material would 
answer for the purpose. As will be seen, the ends 



"Some of Lee's Ideas.' 




, On The Perch. 



Fig. 6s. 

are covered with a triangular piece, which not only 
serves to strengthen the legs, but also protedls the bird 



at the end, for, if some such protection is not provided, 
the fowls would crowd each other off. 

vSuch a trestle, if not roughly tossed about, will need 
no braces for its legs. Braces on a trestle perch are in- 
advisable, because they soon become befouled with the 
droppings and are not readily cleaned. An unobjec- 
tionable method of bracing the legs ma^-, however, be 
required. This is shown in Fig. 65. As will be seen, 
the legs, instead of being set at right-angles with the 
perch, have their lower ends some distance beyond the 
end of the perch, and thus out of the way of defile- 
ment. This position braces the leg of itself, in one di- 
rection ; a block nailed across from one leg to the 
other, close up under the perch, makes the trestle per- 
fe<5tly rigid on its legs. In the drawing, B is a side 
view of a portion of the perch, A the end of the block 
just mentioned, c the leg and D a strip fastened to the 
end of the perch as a protection for the end fowl. The 
strip should be too small to tempt the fowls to perch 
upon its top. In this connection, perches should nev- 
er cross, — to avoid soiled plumage. 



ON NESTS. 



Y' ( EPT IN THE ORDINARY MANNER on a 
^^■^ farm, much is lost that should be turned to 
1 I profit by providing suitable arrangements for 

' nesting, and training the hens, when j-oung, 

to regular habits. The hay-loft, the manger or an in- 
accessible place under some building, — these are not 




Fig. 66. 

profitable nesting-places, and yet on many farms the 

eggs are sought in such places, "year in and year out." 

The fancier, as a rule, provides nest-boxes of some 

sort for his stock at all seasons of the year, and the 



number of eggs thus saved, (as compared with the slip- 
shod method), amply repays him for the trouble and 
expense. 

Of course a cheese-hoop or a box of proper size will 
answer the purpose and prove acceptable to well -bred 
hens, but some form of nest that will close itself when 




Fig. 67. 

a hen enters it, is desirable for a number of reasons. 
Chief among these is the fadl that two hens will some- 
times struggle for possession of a favorite nest, and 
this may result in broken eggs. Then, too, the secret 



•Some of Lee's Ideas. ' 



60 



. On Nests. 




Fig. 68. — Automatic Nbst-Box for Laying Hens. 



•Some of Lee's Ideas." 



. On Nests. 




Fig. 69. — Automatic Nest-Box, (Doubi.e.) 



•Some gf Lee's Ideas." 



62 



.On Nests 



nest is preferable to an open nest, because the egg-eat- 
ing habit is usually acquired by finding a broken egg 
in plain sight, — which could not happen in a regular 
nest-box. In Figs. 66 and 67 is roughly shown a plan 
which someone has devised for shutting out intruders 
when a hen has once entered the box. By this plan, 
the board on which the nest-box rests is long enough, 
and so balanced, (at p), that the hen's weight on the 
nest ele%'ates the end b to near the top of the entrance. 
But this plan is open to a number of -objections, the 
most serious of which is, perhaps, that the nest must 
fall through such a distance that only a very fearless 
hen would enter the box a second time. 

The best idea for a self-closing nest-box which I 
have met, is that shown in Figs. 68 and 69. The nest, 
N, is counterbalanced on a base-board, P, by a weight, 
B. The door, D, is connected by a wire, w, with the 
base-board, the "eye," H, in the door standing out 
about a half-inch, to give it proper leverage in eleva- 
ting the door. The weight, which may be a brick, or 
anything which, by experiment, is found to do the 
work corre(5lly, is adjusted on the base-board at the 
point where it will hold the door open when the nest 
is unoccupied, but will be overbalanced by the weight 
of a hen on the nest. Thus when a hen steps upon the 
nest, her weight causes the outer end of the base-board 
to rise the short distance necessarj' to relieve the 



strain on the wire, and the door closes by its own 
weight. When the hen leaves the nest, the weight is 
ready to open the door and keep it open. 

P"ig. 69 is the double nest-box referred to in an early 
chapter. The construction of the two boxes is alike 
except the roof. The door may occupy all or only a 
portion of the front end. Probably it would be well to 
have a large hole in the door, covered with screen-wire 
to serve as a window. 

It is best to have a roof on the box, rather than a 
flat top, even if to be used only indoors, because a 
roof will be an inattractive perching-place. Many 
times there is an advantage in having the nests out- 
doors, especially if used for setting-hens in .warm 
weather. 

A portion of the roof is to be hinged, for conven- 
ience in coUecfting the eggs, and the opening for this 
lid should be of a size to allow for the removal of the 
nest itself, when occasion requires. The small box 
containing the nesting-material need not be attached 
to the base-board. 



* ♦ » * » 



WIRE HINGES FOR NEST AND OTHER BOXES. 

The hinges for the lid may be made of wire, since 
there will be very little strain on them. In Figs. 70, 



■SoiwE OF Lee's Ideas." 



. On Nests 



"^ 



71 and 72 I give drawings for adapting the wire hinge 
to any situation in which it ma)- be needed. The 
parts of these hinges are to be driven with a hammer, 
like nails. In each hinge, part i is the same and is 
driven last. Part 4 is an ordinary wire staple. In 
making the different parts, care should be taken to cut 
the ends diagonally, so they will not require sharpen- 
ing, and the cut for each end should slant as shown 
in the drawings, in order to make the wire "lead" in 



Fig. 70. 

a direction to clinch the part firmly. The short end 
is, of course, driven first, and then the anchor end, as 
shown in Fig. 71. Sotnetimes it may be most conven- 
ient to drive the two short ends of a complete hinge 
separately, and then hook the pieces together and sink 
the anchors. The tyro may not succeed very well in 
driving these hinges, but after a little experience, he 



will find it easy. Two hinges like 72, with the ends 
of the staples clinched right and left, will answer for 
each lid. 





Fig. 71. 



Fig, 72. 



These hinges will be found useful for boxes of va- 
rious kinds, when made of suitable sized wire. The 
size of the loop must be regulated by the size of wire 
used ; if the loop is too large the hinge will be so 
loose as to be unsatisfactory, — a trifle larger than 
the wire itself is the proper size. 





One of "Lee's Ideas" in the New England 
Fancier: — To mal<e ttie hen go on the nest, place a 
small card vertically upon the dotted line, move the 
page near the face, so the edge of the card will al- 
most touch the nose: look steadily at the picture and 
the hen will appear on the nest. 



ON FGCD -TROUGHS, ETC. 



LET THEM "PICK UP" THEIR LIVING 
is a good rule where forage of a suitable kind 
is pleutiful, but it is not a good rule where 
the fowls or chicks are fed in their yards, as 
they must be at certain seasons of the year. I do not 
at all advise the extreme of keeping grain in a "self- 
feeding hopper" where the poultry, \-oung or old, can 
have access to it at all times, however. Poultrj- in 
confinement should be fed regularly, the old stock 
twice a day and the young oftener according to its age ; 
young chicks should be fed by the old-time rule of 
"little and often," while experience alone can tell the 
proper amount to feed grown fowls. Some solons will 
say the rule is "just so much as will be eaten up clean" 
(and some editors who ought to know better use that 
stereotyped advice), but in feeding Asiatic fowls that 
rule will result in disaster every time. I find by ac- 
tual experiment that what will keep Leghorns in good 
condition will also keep Brahmas, while if more is fed 
to the Brahmas, (they would "eat up clean" nearly 



double the quantity), they become so fat as to be un- 
profitable. This explains why the Asiatic varieties are 
generally not as profitable as American varieties, when 
given free range about a farm,— they soon become too 
fat. In passing, it might be pertinent to ask, is any 
kind of stock profitable when given the liberty of the 
farm, and permitted to eat its fill of anything it likes, 
at any and all times ? 

In feeding grain, I have already advised scattering 
it through some sort of litter, and that advice is good 
at all seasons and for young or old stock ; the exercise 
of scratching for it is a benefit always. This is one 
strong reason why I advise against the self-feeding 
hopper. 

The plan followed in ye olden time for separating 
the young chicks, etc., from the older stock, at feeding 
time, is commendable, although it is certainly wiser, 
by every consideration, to keep the young stock al- 
ways separate until well matured. The plan referred 
to is that of making a coop of lath or other slats wide 



■Some of Lee's Ideas.' 



.On Feed-Troughs. Etc. 




Fig. 73:- 
Old-fashioned Feed-coop for Growing Chicks, Turkeys, Etc. 



'Some of Lee's Ideas ' 



67 



.On Feed-Troughs, Etc. 



enough apart to allow the 30ungsters to pass through, 
the base of the coop being broad enough that the old 
birds cannot reach the chicks while eating. Such a 
coop is roughly shown in Fig. 73. It should be always 
roomy inside. If it is moved to a fresh spot each time 
it is used, there will be no trouble from feeding on the 
ground, as is usuall}- done ; but, of course, a board floor 
which can be scraped and washed, is preferable, and a 
regular feed-trough is better still. 

lu feeding soft feed of an}- kind, a trough to hold it 
is always advisable, not only to prevent waste from 
scattering, but to keep the stuff clean and avoid those 
conditions which produce sickness, and which are al- 
most certian to develope where soft feed is given to 
feathered stock, of any age or kind, on the ground. 
An old-fashioned V-shaped trough, such as is ordina- 
rily used for feeding hogs, is very much better than 
nothing, and little time or labor is required to make 
it. Such a trough is easily cleaned out, with a hoe, or 
scraper of some kind, and a dash of water. But such 
a trough is open to a serious objection in that it does 
not proteft the contents from tramplirig, by which 
they may become more or less unfit for use. 

It is wise, then, to so construct the trough that the 
birds must keep their feet out of it, and the readiest 
plan for this is to place a strip a few inches above the 
top of the trough. This might be done by erecting a 



small standard at each end of the trough to which the 
strip may be nailed. As this strip would be stationary 
it would, of course, interfere with cleaning the trough, 
hence I invented the arrangement shown in Fig. 76, 
possessing other advantageous special features. 

A trough longer than four or five feet is inconven- 
ient to handle, but that length will accommodate the 
ordinary' breeding-pen ; if more room is required, then 
additional troughs should be provided, rather than 
a longer trough. 




Fig. 74. 

Fig. 74 shows the construction of the trough part 
of Fig. 76. The bottom board should be thick enough 
to not warp, — say one and one-fourth inch, or more, 
if of soft wood, — and about seven inches wide. The 
sides may be inch thick, if of sound wood not liable 



•Some of Lee's Ideas." 



. On Fhed-T roughs, Etc 




Fig. 75 : — Common V-Sh.^pep Trough. 




Fig. 76. 



'■So«E OF Lees Ideas. ' 



69 



.On FttD-TROuGHS. Etc. 



to split, and about six inches wide will give sufficient 
depth to the two sides. The ends are held together by 
the top strip, and are merely hinged to the trough by 
a screw or peg, A, Fig. 76, at the center of each end. 
Thus the trough can be held free from the floor, using 
the strip as a handle, and turned the "other side" up. 
To hold the ends in place a pin is inserted at B, which 
is removable, of course. It will be noticed that when 
one trough is set for use the other is open, with noth- 
ing to interfere with scraping it out. If turned each 



time it is used, there will seldom be any need of clean- 
ing, for it will be cleaned by the natural action of the 
atmosphere. 

The trough part, like Fig. 74, could be used alone, if 
made long enough to avoid waste of feed at the open 
ends; in using it in this form, it can be turned over by 
the toe each time. 

This is an elaboration of ideas which I have hereto- 
fore presented in the "Pacific Coast Fanciers' Monthly" 
and the "Ohio Poultry Journal." 



ON WHTER-YSSSSLS. 



/"IT^ ANY TIMES THE FEATHERED-STOCK 
VJJ^^ suffers because a supply of water has not 
^^^^^^~* been provided by the owner. When given 
free range, with access to a never-failing stream, the 
problem solves itself for most seasons of the jear ; but 
probably a very large majority of those who keep poul- 
try are not so fortunate. It is true that the fowls will 
drink from a chance puddle or swallow snow to quench 
their thirst, but neither method is healthful, or should 
be considered an excuse for failure to supply pure wa- 
ter. 

In winter, fresh water must be supplied every morn- 
ing, unless it can be kept where it will not freeze over 
during the night. The several forms of so-called "non- 
freezing" drinking fountains have never become pop- 
ular, because of the e.xpense, in the first instance, and 
constant trouble, afterwards. A wooden vessel is best 
to use, where the water is liable to freeze, since it will 
not burst so easily as metal or stoneware, if it should 
be forgotten at night. 



In summer, the problem is to keep the water from 
becoming foul by the heated atmosphere, which is sure 
to occur where it is set out in an open vessel. Some 
form of "fountain" is the thing, then, to keep fresh 
water always before the feathered stock. Several of 
these are advertised in the publications devoted to 
small thoroughbred stock, which can be purchased at 
small expense. If it is desired to save all expense by 
making the fountain at home, then it is only necessary 
to hunt up an old jug and a cup, or other small vessel, 
to hold the supply. A cracked jug can be treated with 
putty or plaster-of-paris, and made to answer, when fit 
for nothing else. It must be air-tight when the nozzle 
is under water, (Fig.78), else the fountain will run dry 
before its time. The plug, shown at Fig. 77, is a piece 
of wood, hollow and with an opening, o, at the proper 
height for the level of the water in the cup ; an elder- 
stem will make this plug, or the central hole can be 
bored and the plug whittled into shape around it after- 
wards. The opening in the side must be below the top 



■Some of Lee's Ideas." 



72 



. On Water-Vessels. 



Fig. 77, Thb Plug. 




Fig. 78, Complete Fountain. 



'Some of Lee's Ideas." 



73 



.On Water-Vessels. 



edge of the cup and the central hole must be large e- 
nough to permit a large bubble of air to pass upward 
through it, to allow for a free flow of the water. The 
end of the plug which is fitted into the mouth of the 
jug should be wrapped with something to make an air- 
tight fit. The pressure of the atmosphere prevents any 
overflow, while the weight of the water keeps the cup 
full so long as there is any in the jug. The advantage 
of a jug over a tin or iron vessel, aside from greater du- 



rability, is that it keeps the water cool in hot weather, 
by the evaporation of moisture from the outside. 

In use the jug is merely leaned up in a corner or a- 
gainst a post, its weight resting on the lower end of 
the plug. Fig. 78 shows the "fountain" complete. It 
can be placed on a small shelf, out of harm's way, in 
the scratchiug-pen, held upright by a nail in the wall 
at either side of the jug. It can of course be used the 
year round, if protecfted from freezing. 




One of "LEE'S IDEAS" in the Pacific Coast Fan- 
ciers Monthly ; To put the specliled hen in the coop 
hold a small card vertically on the dotted line, move 
the page near the face, the edge of the card almost 
touching the nose, then look steadily at the picture 
and the hen will appear in the coop 



ON THE BROOD COOP 

••• 



PO ONE CAN RAISE POULTRY with as com- 
plete success without special preparations as 
can be done witli a little extra care in pro- 
viding accommodations separate from the 
general flock for the setting hen, and for the brood, 
when hatched. From this latter phrase, it will be in- 
ferred I do not recommend artificial methods in raising 
poultry, and that is true, with a certain exception. I 
believe artificiall3-raised chicks are, from the very na- 
ture of things, deficient in stamina, despite all the ap- 
parent proofs to the contrary which may be gathered ; 
this belief rests on the facl, coming more and more to 
be understood by thoughtful people, that the magnetic 
influence of mother-love, or a thorough equivalent for 
it, as in the case of a good foster-mother, is essential 
to the best developement of the young of any species. 
I certainly believe this vital current is necessary, in a 
less degree probabl}-, during the process of incubation. 
For this reason I have always advised breeders to stick 
to the natural method, unless compelled by necessity 



to use machines. Of course, for broiler raising, the 
matter of proper maturity is of no moment, and hence 
the machine method is practically the best for such 
establishments. 

By the arrangement of buildings suggested in pre- 
vious chapters, a special brood coop will not be neces- 
sary, where only a few chicks are raised each ^ear, as 
a good mother hen will care for two or three broods to- 
gether, (hatching arrangements should always be made 
with that end in view, and it is of special advantage in 
the event of poor hatches), and the chicks should be 
placed on new range, when weaned, thus giving place 
to broods of several ages, during the course of the sea- 
son. 

But special coops for the hen and her brood are fre- 
quently a great convenience and sometimes a necessity 
hence I give a design and some hints on the subjedl. A 
glance at Fig. 79 will make it plain that the design pro- 
vides shelter and a roosting-place, with protection for 
the brood at feeding time. Even the mother hen can 



"Some of Lee's Idehs.' 



76 



. On The Brood Coop. 




1 



Fig. 79, — Convenient Brood Coop. 



■Some of Lee's Ideas.' 



77 



~\ 



, On The Brood Coop. 



be shut awa}' from the feed, by confiniiig her in the 
closed portion of the coop ; this is necessary with some 
hens that exhibit a mania for scratching, by which the 
food is wasted and oftentimes the chicks injured. How- 
ever, the coop is especially designed to indulge the 
scratching propensity. The closed portion of the coop 
is fioored, but the slatted space is not, and as the width 
of the coop is such that it can be drawn lengthwise be- 
tween the rows of vegetables in a garden, or corn in a 
field, a fresh scratchiug-ground can be thus provided 
each day, while the chicks can range about at will. 
The chicks will, as a rule, be weaned and on their reg- 
ular run before they are large enough to damage the 
plants. I think I need not stop to enumerate the many 
advantages of this plan,' for they should be patent to 
all, with a second's thought. 

This coop can also be used for the hen while setting, 
thus saving trouble from the ver\' beginning. Her 
supplies and dust-bath will thus be out of the reach of 
the other fowls, and no disturbance will arise when 
she leaves her nest for an airing. One side of the cov- 
ered portion of the coop is hinged, for convenience in 
cleaning, etc., — by wire hinge No. 4, see Fig. 72, page 
63. Details of the framework can be made out by an 
examination of the drawing, I think. 



:Sr::^) 




Fig. 79a. 

The arrangement of the small inside door is shown 
by Fig. 79a. This consists of a solid door A, shown as 
covering the opening into the coop, and a slat door B, 
on the same battens, and operated together, in the 
"waj-s" h, by the handle c. The stop, i, and notch, d, 
in the handle, which simply catches over the main 
framework, g, hold the door closed securely at night, 
and notch, e, secures the slatted portion of the door 
at the opening. The door can be withdrawn through 
the slats of the coop, to let the hen out, a small notch 
being cut in frame, g, if necessary to allow it's free 
passage. The handle moves freely upon the screw, f, 
falling into place by its own weight. 



ON THE SHIPPING COOP. 



^NE ANNOYANCE which shippers too often 
inflict upon their patrons is unnecessary 
weight in the materials of the coop. So 
long as the Express Companies usually 
charge double first-class rates on shipments of thor- 
oughbred poultry, (and sometimes require the shipper 
to sign an agreement releasing them from all responsi- 
bility connected with the shipment), it is certainly the 
duty of the shipper to see that his patron is not forced 
to pay this exorbitant charge on a useless weight of 
old lumber. 

Of course the requisite strength must not be sacri- 
ficed to lightness, but the tendency is generally in the 
direction of overestimating the size of the materials re- 
quired for a coop of a given capacity. Mr. Felch once 
sent me a pen of Light Brahmas in a coop very similar 
to that which I illustrate in Fig. So, made throughout 
from three-eighths inch pine and no piece of the frame 
more than three inches wide. The coop went from 
Natick to Boston and thence to Indianapolis, (just a- 



bout one thousand miles), arriving in good order. As 
Mr. Felch has without doubt shipped more thorough- 
bred fowls than any other fancier, living or dead, his 
method may be considered near enough perfect to 
serve others as a guide. 

Jly plan is to secure an old box, made of materials 
of the requisite strength and lightness, of proper size 
for the number of fowls it is to contain ; this can be 
easily and quickly converted into a shipping coop as 
follows : if for pairs, the box should be about ten by 
twelve inches, and, if it is ten or twelve inches high, 
with a cover, it will make two coops with the addi- 
tion of six 36-in. laths, for corner posts. The sides of 
such a box are to be ripped into four pieces, without 
taking the box apart ; the strips on which the bottom 
and lid are nailed should be about three inches wide, 
and the part which is to serve for the upper portion of 
the coop-frame may be somewhat narrower. These 
latter should be nailed at the corners before sawing, if 
they are not already secure. The frame is then com- 



•Some of Lee's Ideas ' 



. On The Shipping Coop. 




Fig. So, The Shipping Coop. 



•• Som e of Lee's Ideas." " 

pleted b)- using four half laths for corner posts and 
nailing a piece of lath across the top, two inches from 
each end, for the ventilating openings. These top 
pieces should be securely nailed because they will be 
used as handles by the Expressmen. The cheapest 
grade of unbleached muslin is commonly used for 
covering the sides and top. 

Such boxes can usually be had for the asking at any 
store, and a supply should be looked after in advance 



. On The Shipping Coop. 



of needing them. I have sometimes had to pay five 
cent each for good boxes ; the laths cost fifteen cents 
per hundred, hence ten cents would be a very liberal 
allowance for total cost of the materials in each coop. 
Twenty minutes should suffice for labor, and less if a 
number be constructed at one time. 

In making a coop large enough for a pen of fowls, 
;t is wise to eredl an additional lath post at the center 
of each side, these to be connected across the top. 



PGDIGRSe BRCGDING, 

AND CONCLUSION. 



^Y*~\ HE PRECEEDING PAGES have been de- 
t ^..^ voted to the idea,- ist., of helping those who 
\^^^ are keeping poultry for the sake of the bene- 
fit they get from the occupation, in one way 
or another,- 2nd., of pointing out to those who have 
not heretofore considered poultry keeping of sufficient 
importance to pay for the trouble of making proper 
provision for it, that such arrangements can be easily 
and cheaply made as will convert the inhabitants of 
the poultry yard into a source of pleasure, as well as 
profit, instead of a nuisance and, generally, a factor of 
unknown value in household economics. 

But the present chapter is for scientific breeders, — a 
class which, of course, includes nearly all fanciers, as 
well as the experimentalists. I combine ni\' own ar- 
ticle upon The Method, as given in the Ohio Poultry 
Journal, with I. K. Felch's article on The Matings, 
which appeared some j-ears ago in a paper which has 
since been merged into the Western Garden. The 
system of mating is of far too great a value to be al- 



lowed to rest in obscurity, and the arrangements for 
caring for the breeding stock ser\'e so well as auxil- 
iary to it, that it is fitting they should be presented 
together. 

Naturally, the accommodations for the fowls will 
claim first attention. 



**•**♦ 



THE METHOD. 



"In thoroughbred poultry breeding there are many 
difficulties in the way of keeping a complete pedi- 
gree, which do not exist in the case of other high- 
bred stock. But the effort with any real fancier is 
always towards improvement, and as there can be no 
improvement of permanent value that does not result 
from careful and systematic effort, the subjedt of ped- 
igree breeding is of at least a certain amount of im- 
portance to him. Under present methods of hit or 
miss breeding, any improvement which may develop 



'Some of Lee's Ideas." 



34 



. Pedigree Breeding 



i '. 



s ; 



\a- I a|a| 3 



cria oi xi 



erLijiJ J^ 



Fig. 8i,— Arrangement of Pedigree Breeding Yards. 



'Some of Lee's Ideas.' 



86 



.Pedigree Breeding. 



itself is mere chance, and although the breeders are 
quick to take advantage of such adventitious circum- 
stances and have a better opportunity to do so in 
their line than in any other line of thoroughbred 
stock, yet the fadt remains that their work would be 
of far more value to themselves and to others if they 
knew just how the 'sports,' of whatever sort they may 
be, came to exist, and what birds in their yards pro- 
duced them. The whole difficulty of keeping a record 
of this kind of course exists only with the female line, 
and an^ system of pedigree breeding must look to 
keeping a separate record of the produ(5t of each female 
concerned. This of itself would be a valuable record, 
in any branch of improvement of fine poultry-, and it 
ought to be looked to in the matter of egg records long 
enough to cull out the unprofitable layers from the 
flock an3'way. But pedigree breeding contemplates a 
careful study of all the points in the variety- under con- 
sideration which can be improved, and it is to help in 
such work that I have devised the plan outlined in the 
accompanying diagram. This shows accommodations 
for only six females, but is of course capable of being 
extended to any number advisable, the number varying 
with the different breeds. The space allotted to the 
pen of fowls is divided into as many separate pens as 
there are females to be used, and a narrow passageway 
is cut off along the ends of all these pens, which pas- 



sage is just the width of the small gates leading into 
the single pens, as shown in the diagram. The accom- 
modations for roosting consist of a box set on end, tall 
enough to provide three compartments ; the lowest of 
these is for a dust-bin, that next above it is for the nest 
and the topmost is for the perch, — all to be closed at 
night by one door. These boxes are to be grouped in 
twos, both for convenience and because of the fadt that 
the hens will be better satisfied if allowed to roost as 
near together as possible — since if given their own free 
will they always congregate for roosting. These roost- 
ing boxes are small, of course, since they are to only 
accommodate one bird most of the time ; the male can 
be permitted to roost with one of the hens, to save 
building him a separate box. The partitions for the 
small pens need not have the ordinary board base at 
all, for the hens are not prone to fight, hence wire net- 
ting stretched from post to post will make those fences 
and the same may be said of the inside fence for the 
small run-way at the ends. Arrangements for feed 
and water will of course have to be made for each hen 
separately, the male being permitted to eat with one of 
the hens. 

"The system, of course, contemplates permitting the 
male bird to run with each hen separately for a time 
during each day ; and the work of caring for the birds 
takes time and some trouble, hence it is that the pen- 



'Some of Lees Ideas.' 



Pedigree Breeding. 



ning should be so arranged as to be most convenient ; 
that is the purpose of the diagram. The idea is to 
avoid the necessity for catching the male bird each 
time he is changed from one pen to another. This is 
accomplished as follows : We will start with the male 
bird in pen A, with the gate between it and the pas- 
sageway open. The two birds thus have the freedom 
of the pen A, and the whole of the passageway. When 
it is necessary to change the male to pen b, the attend- 
ant will call the male bird into the passageway or drive 
the female into her pen, according to the' location of 
the birds at the time. In doing this he takes advant- 
age of the instin<3; of the birds ; a good breeding male 
will alwa3'S protect his harem, and to do this he will 
walk behind the females, if they are being driven, or 
will run in front of them, if being called. If the hen 
is in the passageway she will be easily driven into the 
pen, because she considers that her home since all her 
housekeeping arrangements are there. Having once 
separated the birds in this way, the gate, g, is to be 
quickly shut and then the next gate opened, and the 
change is made. Some arrangement of ropes and pul- 
leys can be adopted for opening and shutting the gates, 
if the attendant wishes, or if the birds are pets (as they 
should be in any fancier's hands) they will be easily 
changed when the attendant is standing near the gates. 



"Those fanciers who delight in spending all of their 
spare time among their fowls will find they can keep 
the females separate by this plan with a very little 
trouble indeed, and the advantage of a separate record 
of the work of each female is ordinarily of such im- 
portance as to certainly overbalance any expense en- 
tailed by this plan. The runs for the hens will be long 
and narrow, necessarily, and this is better than to have 
them nearer square, for the reason that the occupants 
will get more exercise out of the same space so ar- 
ranged. This is a point that is generally overlooked 
in laying out the yards for fowls, and yet it is an im- 
portant one, where the fowls are somewhat restricted 
for space. 

"I. K. Felch's plan for pedigree breeding is to use 
females that are sisters, and that of course simplifies 
the record not a little ; at the same time the separ- 
ate pen for each bird would be a great advantage in 
his plan, on account of the separate records. Of 
course, in the ordinary method of breeding it is not 
always possible to obtain a sufficient number of fe- 
males that are sisters, and that, so far as my obser- 
vation goes, is the only objection urged against pedi- 
gree breeding. The above plan overcomes that ob- 
jection, as I have shown." 



* * * » 



"Some of Lee's Ideas. ' 



87 



. The Matings.— I. K. F. 



The Matings. 



By I. K. Felch. 



"In the creation one pair only was createrl. The}' 
represented pure and distindl in each the positive and 
negative properties, or life principle. Through their 
loins came a world of life and activity. So can we, 
with a single pair, the produdl of different crosses, 
reproduce the same tj'pe and color. If the following 
rule will be followed, we can in time produce millions 
without the loss of size, shape or color. This is an old 
story, and because of a derisive allusion and assertion 
that the rule v/as detrimental, we reproduce it for the 
benefit of the young and the thinking amateur. And 
to the old breeders who have never studied out the 
plan, we say, be sure you do understand it before you 
condemn it as detrimental. We care not how prolific 
the hen that became the maternal founder of the breed, 
that same prolific merit shall be retained. We ask 
only that the first pair give us three breeding seasons 
of life; we will never introduce a drop of foreign blood, 
and until time shall end the first pair shall be repre- 
sented in the progeny. And the whole plain as mathe- 



matics, — arithmetic — pedigree, — with the law that all 
breeding stock be in health, and color and shape of the 
first pair typical, and we start: [See Diagram on next 
page.] 

"This is as far as it is necessarj' to go, for, in group 
IV we have reproduced the producing power of A, which 
mated to group VI produces VII, — which is half A and 
half No. I, — and groups i, v, vii are all half the blood 
of the two first ancestors. It matters not from which 
group you take them, but at the end of three years we 
have multiplied the individual A and No. i into many 
representatives from which we can at any time produce 
the reproductive power of A and No.i, — for, by the 
mating we produce the same blood, the same size, the 
same color, the same stamina, the same blood as in 
groups I, V and vii. Men may try to laugh a principle 
down because an idiot has failed in applying that prin- 
ciple, — one may condemn the rule because he has mis- 
applied the rule, — but the laws of reproduction and 
mathematics remain. It is possible for a pair, as in 
the garden of Eden, to people another world by the 
selection of a pair from this, for there are Herculeses 
and Venuses to be found, and minds to diredl that far 
outstrip those of the Old World. When we study that 
which brings the best health, the greatest productive- 
ness, we are nearer perfection, or at least on the surest 
road to perfection and profit. 



'Some of Lee's Ideas." 



. The Matings.— I. K. F. 




Explanation: First year. Male A is mated with Female No.i, produc- 
ing Group I. 

Second year, Male A with Females from Group I, producing Group II ; 
and Female No.i with a Male from Group I. producing Group 111. 

Third year. Male A with Females from Group II. producing Group IV; 
and Female No.i with a Male from Group 111, producing Group VI. 

Additional matings: Males from Groups II or IV with females from 111 
or VI, produce same result as Male A with Female No.x. 



■Some of Lee's Ideas." 



S9 



Conclusion. 



oooooooooooooooooooo 



CONCLl-SION. 



A few fatfls connected with this book are "out of the 
common" and may interest the reader. 

The universal method with authors is to commit 
their thoughts to paper iu some way, — writing, direct 
or by an amanuensis, or through a typewriter, — the 
matter so prepared being called "copy" when placed 
in the hands of a printer. I have used a typewriter for 
some years in the preparation of articles for the press 
and in business correspondence, without previous prep- 
aration of what I wished to say, and that suggested 
the plan of putting the book in tjpe dire<5l from my 
head, without preparing "copy" for it. From wide in- 
quiry I have been unable to learn of a book ever having 
been prepared in such a manner, and those who have 
been long connected with the printing and kindred 
trades told me I was attempting a practically impossi- 
ble task. I should say, in this connection, that I was 
once in the printing business, and learned a little of the 
compositor's art. Now that the work is finished, I am 
able to say that every line of the text was put in type 
dire(5l, without "copy" of any kind, except those por- 
tions inclosed by quotation marks. This fail places 
the book among the curiosities of literature. 



The initial letters heading chapters B, C, D, E, F, 
G, H, I, K, L, M, N, O and T were all made from the 
one character. 



m 



by the use of nothing but a small chisel. The number 
and variety of ornamental letters that an ingenious 
mind can work out from this character is truly aston- 
ishing, and I have been advised to secure a patent on 
it. But, like the other ideas in this little book, those 
who can make use of it are welcome to it. Printers 
who wish to exercise their ingenuity may correspond 
with the author concerning duplicates and the tools. 
There is no further need of paying from fifty cents to 
a dollar or more for initials when they can be quickly 
made and iu great variety, and bj- keeping a supply of 
the blanks on hand, they will many times be used to 
advantage when a great rush makes it impossible to 
send away for such letters. It will be noticed many 
of the letters serve in more than one capacity, — M and 
W are usually interchangeable, likewise N and U, 
while the initials B and E, as here shown, serve for M 
and W. I have studied out hundreds of letters from 
this character, and yet I find new forms every time I 
look at it. 




!1 






f»^ 




INDeX. 



••• 



I 



Introim;ctory, - - 
CJeiieral Observations, 



Paok 



1 



A, Hiiildinxs, 3 illustrations, - - - . 
B, — A Model House, 10 illustrations, 
C, — On the Fence, 13 illustrations, - - 
V,— On the Oate, 8 illustrations, - - - 
E, — About Doors, 5 illustrations, - • - 
V, — About Hinges, 9 illustrations, - - - 
O, — Gate and Door I-'asteninjjs, 9 illus., 
Gate I'astcnin^^s, pp. 44, 45, 46, 
Buttons for f.ates and Doors, 47, 48, 
Secret I'asteninjjs for Doors, 49, 50. 
H,— Trap Doors, etc., 8 illustrations, - - 
Hinged Doors, pp. 51, 52, 53, 
Drop Doors, 53, 54, 
Pulleys, 54. 



.51 



a 


I,- 


M 


K, 


23 




3.3 




37 


L, 


41 






M 


44 






N, 




0, 




T, 



On the Perch, 7 illustrations, 

- On Nests, 9 illustrations, 

Nest Boxes, pp. 59, 60, 61, 62, 
Wire Hinges for Nest and 
Other Boxes, 62, 63. 

■ On Feed-Troughs, etc., 5 illustrations, 

- On Water-Vessels, 3 illustrations, - • - 

- On the Brood Coop, 3 illu.strations, - - 

- On the Shipping Coop, 2 illustrations, - 

■ Pedigree Breeding ; Conclusion, 4 illus., - 

The Method, pp. 83, 84, 85, 86, 
The Matings, by I. K. Felch, 87, 88, 
Conclusion, 89. 
, Total Number of Illustrations, One Hundred. 



55 
59 



^5 
7' 
75 
79 
«3 



LIST OF ILLUSTRHTIONS. 



Portrait Erontispiece 

House Design No. I page 

Detail of Frame of Same Design 

Detail of Frame of Same Design 

House Design No. 2 

Figure i, Slant of Winter Sun 

2, Slant of Summer Sun .... 

3, End Elevation of Model House 

4, Front Elevation " " 

5, Rear Elevation " y" 

6, Floor Plan " " 

7, Storm Proof Entrance for a House 

8, Upper Ventilator of Model House 

9, Lower Ventilator " " 
"Tail Piece" 

Figure 10. Self-Supportiug Post .... 

" II, Detail of Construction of Joint . 

" 12, The Post in Use 

" 13, Fending Wire for Top of Fence 
Figures 14- 15, Styles of Trimming for Pickets 



CE 


Figures 


16 


4 


" 


18 


7 


It 


20 


8 


Tail-piece,— 


10 


Figure 


22, 


12 


Figures 


23 


12 


'* 


25 


14 


" 


27 


15 


" 


29 


'5 


" 


31 


16 


Figure 


3i( 


18 


" 


33' 


19 




34, 


19 


" 


35. 


22 


" 


36, 


25 


*' 


37. 


26 


" 


38, 


27 


" 


39- 


27 


" 


40, 


28 


" 


41. 



- 17, Additional Suggestions . page 29 

- 19, Additional Suggestions . . 30 

- 21, Additional Suggestions . . 31 

- The Poultry Keeper's Friend . 32 
Gate Stiffened with Wire ... 33 

- 24, Suggestions for Picket Gates 34 

- 26, Suggestions for Picket Gates 35 

- 28, Frames for Wire Gates . . 36 
-30, Suggestions for Solid Doors . 38 
-32, Suggestions for Slat Doors . 39 
a) Lap of Extra Board on Frame 37 

Strap Hinge 41 

Half-Strap Hinge 41 

Spike of Wire Hinge .... 41 

Staple of Wire Hinge 41 

Wire Hinge Completed .... 42 

Wire Hinge in Use 42 

Loop of Wire Hinge 43 

The Loop in Use 13 

Another Method of Attaching It 43 



SoiwE OF Lees Ideas " 



93 



List of Illustrations 



Figure 42, 




' 43. 




' 44. 




' 45, 




' 46, 




' 47. 




• 4S, 




' 49. 




' 50. 




' 51. 




' 52. 




' 53. 




' 54. 




' 55. 




' 56, 




' 57. 




• 58. 


Figures 59 


Figure 63, 


" 64, 


■• 65, 


Tail piece, - 


Fig 


lire 66, 



Gate Fastening in Use . . . 
Pattern for the Fastening 
Pattern for a Wire Fastening 
The Common Wooden Button 
Improved Style of Ration . . 
Another Improvement on It 
The Common Metal Button . 
A Perfe<5l Secret Fastening . 
Another, (Non Automatic) . 
Trap Door Fastening 

UStaple 

M-Staple ... 

Wire Hinge in Use ... 
Automatic Fastening . . 

Details of .Automatic Fastening 
A Pulley on an M Staple . 
Tin Sheath for Pulley Rope 
60-61 -62, Sections of Perches 
Improved Trestle Perch 
Detail of Trestle Perch . . 
.Another Improvement . . 

- Bird and Nest 

A Secret Nest,— Open . . . . 



page 45 

45 
46 

47 
47 
48 
48 
49 
50 
51 
52 
52 
52 
53 
53 
53 
53 
55 
56 
56 
57 
5S 
59 



Figure 67, The Same Nest Closed . . . . 
" 68, Automatic Nest Box .... 
" 69, The Same Construction, Doubled 
Figures 70-71-72, Wire Hinges, in Use . 
Tail-piece,— One of "Lee's Ideas" 
Figure 73, Old-Fashioned Feed-Coop 
74, Convenient Feed-Trough 
" 75, Common V-Shaped Trough 
76, Improved Form of Trough 
Tail-piece,— The Setting Hen . . 
Figure 77, Plug for Jug Fountain . 
78, The Fountain Complete 
Tail-piece,— One of "Lee's Ideas" 
Figure 79, Brood Coop .... 
" 79a, Double Door for Brood 

Tail-piece, - "A .Study" 

Figure 80, Shipping Coop ... 
Tail-piece, — The Universal Sentinel 
Figure Si, .Arrangement of Pedigree 

82, Felch's Diagram for Matings 
Blank for Ornate Initial Letters . . . 
Tail-piece, — An Exhibition Breeding Pen 
Tailpiece, — Art's Mentor 



Coop 



Yards 



page 59 

60 
61 
63 
64 
66 

67 
68 
68 
70 
72 
72 

74 
76 

77 
78 
80 
82 
84 
88 
89 
90 
94 



,^"^ •^^_, 



-^ ^' 



■s- ,^% 



„^^> ^■., 






■\^ 



\' 



.^ ''-.>, 



.^ . 









\^ 












,H -nj. 






U,.^^ - 



.V -iu 



"J- s 



^_i- v^' 






^""^ ^' 



.V 



■? 



,•5 






K^' 



%■ 









..<?■ 



H -n.. 



vN^" 



^. ^ 









.0 o 



,A^' 



.0 









,v^"^ "% 



'-^y.. V^ 



aV 



•<5. .S-" 



V- .A^ 



LIBRARY OF CONGRESS 



002 851 114 






■"/ •'• .■.■;<'■*•■■•■?''•■•• 



